Refine
Year of publication
- 2012 (1050) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (1050) (remove)
Language
- English (564)
- German (431)
- Portuguese (38)
- Spanish (6)
- Italian (4)
- French (2)
- Croatian (2)
- Multiple languages (2)
- Norwegian Bokmål (1)
Has Fulltext
- yes (1050)
Keywords
- Deutsch (21)
- Literatur (17)
- Begriffsgeschichte <Fach> (15)
- Hofmannsthal, Hugo von (10)
- Rothacker, Erich (10)
- Lyrik (9)
- Übersetzung (9)
- Interkulturalität (8)
- Cape Verde Islands (7)
- Germanistik (7)
Institute
- Medizin (218)
- Biochemie und Chemie (58)
- Biowissenschaften (51)
- Physik (46)
- Gesellschaftswissenschaften (40)
- Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) (35)
- Geowissenschaften (27)
- Philosophie (27)
- Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft (27)
- Geschichtswissenschaften (23)
Harmonic decomposition of two particle angular correlations in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV
(2012)
Angular correlations between unidentified charged trigger (t) and associated (a) particles are measured by the ALICE experiment in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV for transverse momenta 0.25<pTt,a<15 GeV/c, where pTt>pTa. The shapes of the pair correlation distributions are studied in a variety of collision centrality classes between 0 and 50% of the total hadronic cross section for particles in the pseudorapidity interval |η|<1.0. Distributions in relative azimuth Δϕ≡ϕt−ϕa are analyzed for |Δη|≡|ηt−ηa|>0.8, and are referred to as “long-range correlations”. Fourier components VnΔ≡〈cos(nΔϕ)〉 are extracted from the long-range azimuthal correlation functions. If particle pairs are correlated to one another through their individual correlation to a common symmetry plane, then the pair anisotropy VnΔ(pTt,pTa) is fully described in terms of single-particle anisotropies vn(pT) as VnΔ(pTt,pTa)=vn(pTt)vn(pTa). This expectation is tested for 1⩽n⩽5 by applying a global fit of all VnΔ(pTt,pTa) to obtain the best values vn{GF}(pT). It is found that for 2⩽n⩽5, the fit agrees well with data up to pTa∼3–4 GeV/c, with a trend of increasing deviation as pTt and pTa are increased or as collisions become more peripheral. This suggests that no pair correlation harmonic can be described over the full 0.25<pT<15 GeV/c range using a single vn(pT) curve; such a description is however approximately possible for 2⩽n⩽5 when pTa<4 GeV/c. For the n=1 harmonic, however, a single v1(pT) curve is not obtained even within the reduced range pTa<4 GeV/c.
The ALICE experiment has measured low-mass dimuon production in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV in the dimuon rapidity region 2.5<y<4. The observed dimuon mass spectrum is described as a superposition of resonance decays (η,ρ,ω,η′,ϕ) into muons and semi-leptonic decays of charmed mesons. The measured production cross sections for ω and ϕ are σω(1<pt<5 GeV/c,2.5<y<4)=5.28±0.54(stat)±0.49(syst) mb and σϕ(1<pt<5 GeV/c,2.5<y<4)=0.940±0.084(stat)±0.076(syst) mb. The differential cross sections d2σ/dydpt are extracted as a function of pt for ω and ϕ. The ratio between the ρ and ω cross section is obtained. Results for the ϕ are compared with other measurements at the same energy and with predictions by models.
he first measurements of the invariant differential cross sections of inclusive π0 and η meson production at mid-rapidity in proton–proton collisions at s=0.9 TeV and s=7 TeV are reported. The π0 measurement covers the ranges 0.4<pT<7 GeV/c and 0.3<pT<25 GeV/c for these two energies, respectively. The production of η mesons was measured at s=√7 TeV in the range 0.4<pT<15 GeV/c. Next-to-Leading Order perturbative QCD calculations, which are consistent with the π0 spectrum at s=0.9 TeV, overestimate those of π0 and η mesons at s=√7 TeV, but agree with the measured η/π0 ratio at s=√7 TeV.
The ALICE Collaboration has made the first measurement at the LHC of J/ψ photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV. The J/ψ is identified via its dimuon decay in the forward rapidity region with the muon spectrometer for events where the hadronic activity is required to be minimal. The analysis is based on an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 55 μb−1. The cross section for coherent J/ψ production in the rapidity interval −3.6<y<−2.6 is measured to be dσJ/ψcoh/dy=1.00±0.18(stat)−0.26+0.24(syst) mb. The result is compared to theoretical models for coherent J/ψ production and found to be in good agreement with those models which include nuclear gluon shadowing.
Identical neutral kaon pair correlations are measured in √s=7 TeV pp collisions in the ALICE experiment. One-dimensional Ks0Ks0 correlation functions in terms of the invariant momentum difference of kaon pairs are formed in two multiplicity and two transverse momentum ranges. The femtoscopic parameters for the radius and correlation strength of the kaon source are extracted. The fit includes quantum statistics and final-state interactions of the a0/f0 resonance. Ks0Ks0 correlations show an increase in radius for increasing multiplicity and a slight decrease in radius for increasing transverse mass, mT, as seen in ππ correlations in pp collisions and in heavy-ion collisions. Transverse mass scaling is observed between the Ks0Ks0 and ππ radii. Also, the first observation is made of the decay of the f2′(1525) meson into the Ks0Ks0 channel in pp collisions.
The ALICE Collaboration has measured inclusive J/ψ production in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy √s=2.76 TeV at the LHC. The results presented in this Letter refer to the rapidity ranges |y|<0.9 and 2.5<y<4 and have been obtained by measuring the electron and muon pair decay channels, respectively. The integrated luminosities for the two channels are Linte=1.1 nb−1 and Lintμ=19.9 nb−1, and the corresponding signal statistics are NJ/ψe+e−=59±14 and NJ/ψμ+μ−=1364±53. We present dσJ/ψ/dy for the two rapidity regions under study and, for the forward-y range, d2σJ/ψ/dydpt in the transverse momentum domain 0<pt<8 GeV/c. The results are compared with previously published results at s=7 TeV and with theoretical calculations.
The ALICE Collaboration reports the measurement of the relative J/ψ yield as a function of charged particle pseudorapidity density dNch/dη in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV at the LHC. J/ψ particles are detected for pt>0, in the rapidity interval |y|<0.9 via decay into e+e−, and in the interval 2.5<y<4.0 via decay into μ+μ− pairs. An approximately linear increase of the J/ψ yields normalized to their event average (dNJ/ψ/dy)/〈dNJ/ψ/dy〉 with (dNch/dη)/〈dNch/dη〉 is observed in both rapidity ranges, where dNch/dη is measured within |η|<1 and pt>0. In the highest multiplicity interval with 〈dNch/dη(bin)〉=24.1, corresponding to four times the minimum bias multiplicity density, an enhancement relative to the minimum bias J/ψ yield by a factor of about 5 at 2.5<y<4 (8 at |y|<0.9) is observed.
The pT-differential inclusive production cross section of the prompt charm-strange meson Ds+ in the rapidity range |y|<0.5 was measured in proton–proton collisions at s=7 TeV at the LHC using the ALICE detector. The analysis was performed on a data sample of 2.98×108 events collected with a minimum-bias trigger. The corresponding integrated luminosity is Lint=4.8 nb−1. Reconstructing the decay Ds+→ϕπ+, with ϕ→K−K+, and its charge conjugate, about 480 Ds± mesons were counted, after selection cuts, in the transverse momentum range 2<pT<12 GeV/c. The results are compared with predictions from models based on perturbative QCD. The ratios of the cross sections of four D meson species (namely D0, D+, D⁎+ and Ds+) were determined both as a function of pT and integrated over pT after extrapolating to full pT range, together with the strangeness suppression factor in charm fragmentation. The obtained values are found to be compatible within uncertainties with those measured by other experiments in e+e−, ep and pp interactions at various centre-of-mass energies.
A measurement of the multi-strange Ξ− and Ω− baryons and their antiparticles by the ALICE experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is presented for inelastic proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. The transverse momentum (pT) distributions were studied at mid-rapidity (|y|<0.5) in the range of 0.6<pT<8.5 GeV/c for Ξ− and Ξ¯+ baryons, and in the range of 0.8<pT<5 GeV/c for Ω− and Ω¯+. Baryons and antibaryons were measured as separate particles and we find that the baryon to antibaryon ratio of both particle species is consistent with unity over the entire range of the measurement. The statistical precision of the current data has allowed us to measure a difference between the mean pT of Ξ− (Ξ¯+) and Ω− (Ω¯+). Particle yields, mean pT, and the spectra in the intermediate pT range are not well described by the PYTHIA Perugia 2011 tune Monte Carlo event generator, which has been tuned to reproduce the early LHC data. The discrepancy is largest for Ω− (Ω¯+). This PYTHIA tune approaches the pT spectra of Ξ− and Ξ¯+ baryons below pT<0.85 GeV/c and describes the Ξ− and Ξ¯+ spectra above pT>6.0 GeV/c. We also illustrate the difference between the experimental data and model by comparing the corresponding ratios of (Ω−+Ω¯+)/(Ξ−+Ξ¯+) as a function of transverse mass.
Heavy flavour decay muon production at forward rapidity in proton–proton collisions at √s=7 TeV
(2012)
The production of muons from heavy flavour decays is measured at forward rapidity in proton–proton collisions at √s=7 TeV collected with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The analysis is carried out on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity Lint=16.5 nb−1. The transverse momentum and rapidity differential production cross sections of muons from heavy flavour decays are measured in the rapidity range 2.5<y<4, over the transverse momentum range 2<pt<12 GeV/c. The results are compared to predictions based on perturbative QCD calculations.
It is proposed to install an experimental setup in the fixed-target hall of the Nuclotron with the final goal to perform a research program focused on the production of strange matter in heavyion collisions at beam energies between 2 and 6 A GeV. The basic setup will comprise a large acceptance dipole magnet with inner tracking detector modules based on double-sided Silicon micro-strip sensors and GEMs. The outer tracking will be based on the drift chambers and straw tube detector. Particle identification will be based on the time-of-flight measurements. This setup will be sufficient perform a comprehensive study of strangeness production in heavy-ion collisions, including multi-strange hyperons, multi-strange hypernuclei, and exotic multi-strange heavy objects. These pioneering measurements would provide the first data on the production of these particles in heavy-ion collisions at Nuclotron beam energies, and would open an avenue to explore the third (strangeness) axis of the nuclear chart. The extension of the experimental program is related with the study of in-medium effects for vector mesons decaying in hadronic modes. The studies of the NN and NA reactions for the reference is assumed.
En mi artículo analizaré la lectura que hace Axel Honneth de uno de los textos más importantes del período de Jena de Hegel: el Sistema de la Eticidad. En términos generales, quisiera determinar qué importancia y qué limitaciones presenta este texto, en relación con otros trabajos del mismo período, para la formulación de la teoría del reconocimiento de Honneth. Para lograr este propósito considero necesario centrarme, particularmente, en la exégesis que hace de la cuestión del delito y del carácter ambivalente que presenta en el libro mencionado. Por un lado, constituye un acto destructivo que desgarra los procesos consolidados de reconocimiento; es decir, lesiona a la persona como sujeto de derechos y a la “persona como un todo” originando así una conflicto y una lucha entre ellas. Por otro lado, el delito conserva un “papel constructivo" en la medida en que exhorta a tomar conciencia de la dependencia respecto a la comunidad y de la necesidad de ser reconocido en su seno. Otro factor que resulta teóricamente productivo del modelo hegeliano es que provee las coordenadas, si bien de forma elusiva e implícita, para comprender la génesis y los motivos del delito haciendo alusión a una falta de reconocimiento inicial que se perpetúa en el derecho abstracto. En definitiva, lo que busco demostrar es que la interpretación que realiza Honneth respecto a la cuestión del delito en el Sistema de la Eticidad permite comprender elementos centrales de su propuesta de “sociologización del modelo de pensamiento hegeliano”.
Es gibt zahlreiche Publikationen, die dokumentieren, dass Wirbeltiere in das Beutespektrum von Spinnen gehören können, wobei offensichtlich insbesondere Amphibien und Reptilien erbeutet werden (z.B. De Armas 2001, Menin et al. 2005, Toledo 2005, Maffei et al. 2010). Solche Berichte stützen sich fast immer auf Beobachtungen aus den Tropen.
We introduce tree-width for first order formulae φ, fotw(φ). We show that computing fotw is fixed-parameter tractable with parameter fotw. Moreover, we show that on classes of formulae of bounded fotw, model checking is fixed parameter tractable, with parameter the length of the formula. This is done by translating a formula φ with fotw(φ)<k into a formula of the k-variable fragment Lk of first order logic. For fixed k, the question whether a given first order formula is equivalent to an Lk formula is undecidable. In contrast, the classes of first order formulae with bounded fotw are fragments of first order logic for which the equivalence is decidable. Our notion of tree-width generalises tree-width of conjunctive queries to arbitrary formulae of first order logic by taking into account the quantifier interaction in a formula. Moreover, it is more powerful than the notion of elimination-width of quantified constraint formulae, defined by Chen and Dalmau (CSL 2005): for quantified constraint formulae, both bounded elimination-width and bounded fotw allow for model checking in polynomial time. We prove that fotw of a quantified constraint formula φ is bounded by the elimination-width of φ, and we exhibit a class of quantified constraint formulae with bounded fotw, that has unbounded elimination-width. A similar comparison holds for strict tree-width of non-recursive stratified datalog as defined by Flum, Frick, and Grohe (JACM 49, 2002). Finally, we show that fotw has a characterization in terms of a cops and robbers game without monotonicity cost.
We present measurements of exclusive ensuremathπ+,0 and η production in pp reactions at 1.25GeV and 2.2GeV beam kinetic energy in hadron and dielectron channels. In the case of π+ and π0 , high-statistics invariant-mass and angular distributions are obtained within the HADES acceptance as well as acceptance-corrected distributions, which are compared to a resonance model. The sensitivity of the data to the yield and production angular distribution of Δ (1232) and higher-lying baryon resonances is shown, and an improved parameterization is proposed. The extracted cross-sections are of special interest in the case of pp → pp η , since controversial data exist at 2.0GeV; we find \ensuremathσ=0.142±0.022 mb. Using the dielectron channels, the π0 and η Dalitz decay signals are reconstructed with yields fully consistent with the hadronic channels. The electron invariant masses and acceptance-corrected helicity angle distributions are found in good agreement with model predictions.
Background: During early stages of brain development, secreted molecules, components of intracellular signaling pathways and transcriptional regulators act in positive and negative feed-back or feed-forward loops at the mid-hindbrain boundary. These genetic interactions are of central importance for the specification and subsequent development of the adjacent mid- and hindbrain. Much less, however, is known about the regulatory relationship and functional interaction of molecules that are expressed in the tectal anlage after tectal fate specification has taken place and tectal development has commenced.
Results: Here, we provide experimental evidence for reciprocal regulation and subsequent cooperation of the paired-type transcription factors Pax3, Pax7 and the TALE-homeodomain protein Meis2 in the tectal anlage. Using in ovo electroporation of the mesencephalic vesicle of chick embryos we show that (i) Pax3 and Pax7 mutually regulate each other's expression in the mesencephalic vesicle, (ii) Meis2 acts downstream of Pax3/7 and requires balanced expression levels of both proteins, and (iii) Meis2 physically interacts with Pax3 and Pax7. These results extend our previous observation that Meis2 cooperates with Otx2 in tectal development to include Pax3 and Pax7 as Meis2 interacting proteins in the tectal anlage.
Conclusion: The results described here suggest a model in which interdependent regulatory loops involving Pax3 and Pax7 in the dorsal mesencephalic vesicle modulate Meis2 expression. Physical interaction with Meis2 may then confer tectal specificity to a wide range of otherwise broadly expressed transcriptional regulators, including Otx2, Pax3 and Pax7.
Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is at the basis of renal transplantation and acute kidney injury. Molecular mechanisms underlying proximal tubule response to I/R will allow the identification of new therapeutic targets for both clinical settings. microRNAs have emerged as crucial and tight regulators of the cellular response to insults including hypoxia. Here, we have identified several miRNAs involved in the response of the proximal tubule cell to I/R. Microarrays and RT-PCR analysis of proximal tubule cells submitted to I/R mimicking conditions in vitro demonstrated that miR-127 is induced during ischemia and also during reperfusion. miR-127 is also modulated in a rat model of renal I/R. Interference approaches demonstrated that ischemic induction of miR-127 is mediated by Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1alpha (HIF-1α) stabilization. Moreover, miR-127 is involved in cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion maintenance, since overexpression of miR-127 maintains focal adhesion complex assembly and the integrity of tight junctions. miR-127 also regulates intracellular trafficking since miR-127 interference promotes dextran-FITC uptake. In fact, we have identified the Kinesin Family Member 3B (KIF3B), involved in cell trafficking, as a target of miR-127 in rat proximal tubule cells. In summary, we have described a novel role of miR-127 in cell adhesion and its regulation by HIF-1α. We also identified for the first time KIF3B as a miR-127 target. Both, miR-127 and KIF3B appear as key mediators of proximal epithelial tubule cell response to I/R with potential al application in renal ischemic damage management.
A relação pai-filho é uma das pedras angulares da pesquisa psicanalítica. Este artigo examina tal relação, assim como se apresenta no romance "Zipper und sein Vater" (1928, "Zipper e seu pai"), de Joseph Roth, em um contexto histórico e psicossocial relevante. Traçando um paralelo entre a figural paternal do Imperador Austro-Húngaro, Franz Joseph, e o pai de Arnold Zipper, e valendo-se da experiência pessoal do narrador (e do próprio Roth), o artigo apresenta uma análise da importância da figura e as consequências devastadoras de sua ausência.
The small bowel is essential to sustain alimentation and small bowel Crohn's disease (CD) may severely limit its function. Small bowel imaging is a crucial element in diagnosing small
bowel CD, and treatment control with imaging is increasingly used to optimize the patients outcome. Thereby, capsule endoscopy, Balloon-assisted enteroscopy, and Magnetic resonance imaging have become key players to manage CD patients. In this review, role of small bowel imaging is detailed discussed for use in diagnosing and managing Crohn's disease patients.
In this study, it is demonstrated that moving sounds have an effect on the direction in which one sees visual stimuli move. During the main experiment sounds were presented consecutively at four speaker locations inducing left or rightward auditory apparent motion. On the path of auditory apparent motion, visual apparent motion stimuli were presented with a high degree of directional ambiguity. The main outcome of this experiment is that our participants perceived visual apparent motion stimuli that were ambiguous (equally likely to be perceived as moving left or rightward) more often as moving in the same direction than in the opposite direction of auditory apparent motion. During the control experiment we replicated this finding and found no effect of sound motion direction on eye movements. This indicates that auditory motion can capture our visual motion percept when visual motion direction is insufficiently determinate without affecting eye movements.
Alzheimeŕs disease (AD) represents the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder that causes cognitive decline in old age. In its early stages, AD is associated with microstructural abnormalities in white matter (WM). In the current study, multiple indices of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and brain volumetric measurements were employed to comprehensively investigate the landscape of AD pathology. The sample comprised 58 individuals including cognitively normal subjects (controls), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD patients. Relative to controls, both MCI and AD subjects showed widespread changes of anisotropic fraction (FA) in the corpus callosum, cingulate and uncinate fasciculus. Mean diffusivity and radial changes were also observed in AD patients in comparison with controls. After controlling for the gray matter atrophy the number of regions of significantly lower FA in AD patients relative to controls was decreased; nonetheless, unique areas of microstructural damage remained, e.g., the corpus callosum and uncinate fasciculus. Despite sample size limitations, the current results suggest that a combination of secondary and primary degeneration occurrs in MCI and AD, although the secondary degeneration appears to have a more critical role during the stages of disease involving dementia.
Orthotopic liver transplantation in human-immunodeficiency-virus-positive patients in Germany
(2012)
Objectives: This summary evaluates the outcomes of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) of HIV-positive patients in Germany.
Methods: Retrospective chart analysis of HIV-positive patients, who had been liver-transplanted in Germany between July 1997 and July 2011.
Results: 38 transplantations were performed in 32 patients at 9 German transplant centres. The reasons for OLT were end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and/or liver failure due to hepatitis C (HCV) (n = 19), hepatitis B (HBV) (n = 10), multiple viral infections of the liver (n = 2) and Budd-Chiari-Syndrome. In July 2011 19/32 (60%) of the transplanted patients were still alive with a median survival of 61 months (IQR (interquartile range): 41-86 months). 6 patients had died in the early post-transplantation period from septicaemia (n = 4), primary graft dysfunction (n = 1), and intrathoracal hemorrhage (n = 1). Later on 7 patients had died from septicaemia (n = 2), delayed graft failure (n = 2), recurrent HCC (n = 2), and renal failure (n = 1). Recurrent HBV infection was efficiently prevented in 11/12 patients; HCV reinfection occurred in all patients and contributed considerably to the overall mortality.
Conclusions: Overall OLT is a feasible approach in HIV-infected patients with acceptable survival rates in Germany. Reinfection with HCV still remains a major clinical challenge in HIV/HCV coinfection after OLT.
We introduce a top-down stylized model to analyse the impact of a transition to a European power system based only on wind and solar power. Wind and solar power generation is calculated from high-resolution weather data and based on the country specific electricity demand alone, we introduce a model of the conventional power system that facilitates simple spatio-temporal modelling of its macroscopic behavior without direct reference to the underlying technological, economical, and political development in the system. Using this model, we find that wind and solar power generation can replace conventional power generation and power capacity to a large degree if power transmission across the continent is made possible.
We present, in the framework of the interacting hadron resonance gas, an evaluation of thermodynamical quantities. The interaction is modelled via a correction for the finite size of the hadrons. We investigate the sensitivity of the model calculations on the radius of the hadrons, which is a parameter of the model. Our calculations for thermodynamical quantities as energy and entropy densities and pressure are confronted with predictions using the lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) formalism.
A simple and fast method of lipid analysis of isolated intact mitochondria by means of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is described. Mitochondria isolated from bovine heart and yeast have been employed to set up and validate the new method of lipid analysis. The mitochondrial suspension is directly applied over the target and, after drying, covered by a thin layer of the 9-aminoacridine matrix solution. The lipid profiles acquired with this procedure contain all peaks previously obtained by analyzing the lipid extracts of isolated mitochondria by TLC and/or mass spectrometry. The novel procedure allows the quick, simple, precise, and accurate analysis of membrane lipids, utilizing only a tiny amount of isolated organelle; it has also been tested with intact membranes of the bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans for its evolutionary link to present-day mitochondria. The method is of general validity for the lipid analysis of other cell fractions and isolated organelles.
Buchbesprechungen
(2012)
While it is apparent that rare variation can play an important role in the genetic architecture of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), the contribution of common variation to the risk of developing ASD is less clear. To produce a more comprehensive picture, we report Stage 2 of the Autism Genome Project genome-wide association study, adding 1301 ASD families and bringing the total to 2705 families analysed (Stages 1 and 2). In addition to evaluating the association of individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we also sought evidence that common variants, en masse, might affect the risk. Despite genotyping over a million SNPs covering the genome, no single SNP shows significant association with ASD or selected phenotypes at a genome-wide level. The SNP that achieves the smallest P-value from secondary analyses is rs1718101. It falls in CNTNAP2, a gene previously implicated in susceptibility for ASD. This SNP also shows modest association with age of word/phrase acquisition in ASD subjects, of interest because features of language development are also associated with other variation in CNTNAP2. In contrast, allele scores derived from the transmission of common alleles to Stage 1 cases significantly predict case status in the independent Stage 2 sample. Despite being significant, the variance explained by these allele scores was small (Vm< 1%). Based on results from individual SNPs and their en masse effect on risk, as inferred from the allele score results, it is reasonable to conclude that common variants affect the risk for ASD but their individual effects are modest.
Das Gedicht 'Verse, auf eine Banknote geschrieben' unterscheidet sich in der Formensprache derart von der frühen Lyrik Hofmannsthals, dass sich beinahe der Eindruck eines absichtsvoll Schlechten herstellt. Es handelt sich um Gedankenlyrik, die kaum etwas von der subtilen Widerständigkeit und traumhaften Hermetik aufweist, die an der Lyrik des jungen Hofmannsthal bewundert worden ist. Andererseits ist der Gedankengang so scharfsinnig und verdichtet durchgeführt, dass der Text trotz der konventionellen Form den meisten Zeitgenossen vermutlich unzugänglich gewesen wäre. Das Raffinierte des Texts besteht in einer merkwürdigen Dialektik von Mimesis an den besprochenen Gegenstand und Selbstverleugnung in einer Poetik der Nichtidentität.
This article discusses one of many possible strategies that translators use in rendering an idiom from a L1 to a L2, i.e. the verbatim or the literal translation. The points of view according to this strategy differ very much among the researchers: some treat them as semantic false friends. Based on the replies to a questionnaire that was handed out to 10 Romanian native speakers, one could state that the context in which the literal translation of a source-idiom is situated plays an important role for the understanding of the text. Beyond that, the translation of an idiom cannot be judged only by virtue of the denotative meaning – the pragmatic function of the translation as a whole is just as important. The questionnaire was compiled of literal translations of Swedish idioms into Romanian (from different translations of different novels). The article further discusses some of the text examples from this questionnaire and describes some of the phenomena related to idioms which hinder the so-called idiom-understanding and which probably led to misinterpretation and a failed literal translation.
Macrophages are highly plastic leukocytes that differentiate from monocytes following their entry into extravascular tissues. Macrophages can enter various tissues under inflammatory or non-inflammatory conditions and assume different functions and phenotypes according to the cues they receive from the environment. The notion that inflammation in general and macrophage responses in particular affect physiological phenomena that were previously considered to be not immune-related has enhanced and broadened our understanding of macrophage function during inflammation and its resolution....
Die Fortschritte der Neurowissenschaften in den letzten hundert Jahren ließen auch andere Wissensbereiche nicht unberührt und haben dazu geführt, dass traditionelle Vorstellungen von Identität mehreren Revisionen unterzogen werden mussten. Die Rede vom Gehirn als Grundlage der Individualität hat eine tiefgreifende Blickwinkelverschiebung zur Folge, die sich sodann auch in der philosophischen und literarischen Auseinandersetzung mit der Frage der neurobiologischen Grundlage von Individualität niederschlägt. Mit Blick auf den übergeordneten Titel der Veranstaltung Grenzen überschreiten in der Germanistik liegt hier gar eine zweifache Grenzübertretung vor: zunächst wird die Grenze zwischen zwei verschiedenen Disziplinen, der Literatur und der Neurobiologie, die ganz unterschiedliche Diskurse und damit Sprech- und Arbeitsweisen einschließen, überschritten. Zum zweiten erfolgt eine Grenzüberschreitung von traditionellen Identitätskonzepten, wenn in der Äußerung Ich bin mein Gehirn reduktionistisch konstatiert wird, Identität sei nicht mehr als die Summe einer Verschaltung von Neuronen und ihrer Aktivitäten im menschlichen Gehirn.
Seed disperser preferences may mediate the impact of invasive, non-native plant species on their new ecological communities. Significant seed disperser preference for invasives over native species could facilitate the spread of the invasives while impeding native plant dispersal. Such competition for dispersers could negatively impact the fitness of some native plants. Here, we review published literature to identify circumstances under which preference for non-native fruits occurs. The importance of fruit attraction is underscored by several studies demonstrating that invasive, fleshy-fruited plant species are particularly attractive to regional frugivores. A small set of studies directly compare frugivore preference for native vs. invasive species, and we find that different designs and goals within such studies frequently yield contrasting results. When similar native and non-native plant species have been compared, frugivores have tended to show preference for the non-natives. This preference appears to stem from enhanced feeding efficiency or accessibility associated with the non-native fruits. On the other hand, studies examining preference within existing suites of co-occurring species, with no attempt to maximize fruit similarity, show mixed results, with frugivores in most cases acting opportunistically or preferring native species. A simple, exploratory meta-analysis finds significant preference for native species when these studies are examined as a group. We illustrate the contrasting findings typical of these two approaches with results from two smallscale aviary experiments we conducted to determine preference by frugivorous bird species in northern California. In these case studies, native birds preferred the native fruit species as long as it was dissimilar from non-native fruits, while non-native European starlings preferred non-native fruit. However, native birds showed slight, non-significant preference for non-native fruit species when such fruits were selected for their physical resemblance to the native fruit species. Based on our review and case studies, we propose that fruit characteristics of native plant communities could dictate how well a non-native, fleshy-fruited plant species competes for dispersers with natives. Native bird preferences may be largely influenced by regional native fruits, such that birds are attracted to the colors, morphology, and infructescence structures characteristic of preferred native fruits. Non-native fruits exhibiting similar traits are likely to encounter bird communities predisposed to consume them. If those non-natives offer greater fruit abundance, energy content, or accessibility, they may outcompete native plants for dispersers.
The prognostic impact of epidermal growth factor receptor in patients with metastatic gastric cancer
(2012)
Background: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a potential target of anticancer therapy in gastric cancer. However, its prognostic role in metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GE) cancer has not been established yet.
Methods: EGFR status was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in paraffin-embedded samples from 357 patients who received chemotherapy in 4 first-line trials. Automated RNA extraction from paraffin and RT-quantitative PCR were additionally used to evaluate EGFR mRNA expression in 130 patients.
Results: EGFR protein expression (any grade) and overexpression (3+) were observed in 43% and 11% of patients, respectively. EGFR positivity correlated with intestinal type histology (p = 0.05), but not with other clinicopathologic characteristics. Median follow-up was 18.2 months. Median overall survival (OS) was similar in patients with EGFR positive vs. those with EGFR negative tumors, regardless whether positivity was defined as ≥1+ (10.6 vs. 10.9 months, p = 0.463) or as 3+ (8.6 vs. 10.8 months, p = 0.377). The multivariate analysis indicated that EGFR status is not an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio 0.85, 0.56 to 1.12, p = 0.247). There were also no significant differences in overall survival when patients were categorized according to median (p = 0.116) or quartile (p = 0.767) distribution of EGFR mRNA gene expression. Similar distributions of progression-free survival according to EGFR status were observed.
Conclusions: Unlike different cancer types where EGFR-positive disease is associated with an adverse prognostic value, EGFR positivity is not prognostic of patient outcome in metastatic gastric or GE cancer.
Parkinson's disease is the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder. While most cases occur sporadic mutations in a growing number of genes including Parkin (PARK2) and PINK1 (PARK6) have been associated with the disease. Different animal models and cell models like patient skin fibroblasts and recombinant cell lines can be used as model systems for Parkinson's disease. Skin fibroblasts present a system with defined mutations and the cumulative cellular damage of the patients. PINK1 and Parkin genes show relevant expression levels in human fibroblasts and since both genes participate in stress response pathways, we believe fibroblasts advantageous in order to assess, e.g. the effect of stressors. Furthermore, since a bioenergetic deficit underlies early stage Parkinson's disease, while atrophy underlies later stages, the use of primary cells seems preferable over the use of tumor cell lines. The new option to use fibroblast-derived induced pluripotent stem cells redifferentiated into dopaminergic neurons is an additional benefit. However, the use of fibroblast has also some drawbacks. We have investigated PARK6 fibroblasts and they mirror closely the respiratory alterations, the expression profiles, the mitochondrial dynamics pathology and the vulnerability to proteasomal stress that has been documented in other model systems. Fibroblasts from patients with PARK2, PARK6, idiopathic Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 demonstrated a distinct and unique mRNA expression pattern of key genes in neurodegeneration. Thus, primary skin fibroblasts are a useful Parkinson's disease model, able to serve as a complement to animal mutants, transformed cell lines and patient tissues.
Background. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4), a proinflammatory lipid mediator correlates well with the acute phase of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Therefore, LTB4-levels were investigated to determine whether they might be a useful clinical marker in predicting pulmonary complications (PC) in multiply traumatized patients. Methods: Plasma levels of LTB4 were determined in 100 patients on admission (ED) and for five consecutive days (daily). Twenty healthy volunteers served as control. LTB4-levels were measured by ELISA. Thirty patients developed PC (pneumonia, respiratory failure, acute lung injury (ALI), ARDS, pulmonary embolism) and 70 had no PC (ØPC). Results. LTB4-levels in the PC-group [127.8 pg/mL, IQR: 104–200pg/ml] were significantly higher compared to the ØPC-group on admission [95.6 pg/mL, IQR: 55–143 pg/mL] or control-group [58.4 pg/mL, IQR: 36–108 pg/mL]. LTB4 continuously declined to basal levels from day 1 to 5 without differences between the groups. The cutoff to predict PC was calculated at 109.6 pg/mL (72% specificity, 67% sensitivity). LTB4 was not influenced by overall or chest injury severity, age, gender or massive transfusion. Patients with PC received mechanical ventilation for a significantly longer period of time, and had prolonged intensive care unit and overall hospital stay. Conclusion. High LTB4-levels indicate risk for PC development in multiply traumatized patients
Este trabalho examina os "Escritos sobre a Música e os Músicos", do compositor alemão Robert Schumann, em especial as resenhas escritas entre 1834 e 1836, com vistas a identificar ecos das principais ideias sobre linguagem e tradução desenvolvidas na Alemanha entre o final do séc. XVIII e o início do séc. XIX. Os eixos escolhidos para construir essa ideia são os eixos do sujeito e do tempo perpassados pela noção de movimento. Do primeiro, destacase a ancoragem vertical, personalíssima, operada no interior do sujeito que transita de um sistema sígnico para outro, que traduz seus pensamentos, ou ainda que empreende a passage de uma língua para outra. Do segundo, tem-se em conta a configuração desse mergulho num produto que desmantela as barreiras do tempo e, de um só golpe, contemporiza o passado e inclui o futuro.
Background: The transcription factor T-bet is pivotal for initiation of Th1-related immunoactivation. Identification of novel genes directly regulated by T-bet is crucial.
Results: Genome-wide analysis and subsequent experiments revealed that T-bet up-regulates IL-36γ/IL-1F9 in myeloid cells.
Conclusion: IL-1-related IL-36γ is a direct T-bet target in myeloid cells.
Significance: Observations suggest that IL-36γ , besides IFNγ, contributes to T-bet functions in immunopathology
By concerted action in dendritic (DC) and T cells, T-box expressed in T cells (T-bet, Tbx21) is pivotal for initiation and perpetuation of Th1 immunity. Identification of novel T-bet-regulated genes is crucial for further understanding the biology of this transcription factor. By combining siRNA technology with genome-wide mRNA expression analysis, we sought to identify new T-bet-regulated genes in predendritic KG1 cells activated by IL-18. One gene robustly dependent on T-bet was IL-36γ, a recently described novel IL-1 family member. Promoter analysis revealed a T-bet binding site that, along with a κB site, enables efficient IL-36γ induction. Using knock-out animals, IL-36γ reliance on T-bet was extended to murine DC. IL-36γ expression by human myeloid cells was confirmed using monocyte-derived DC and M1 macrophages. The latter model was employed to substantiate dependence of IL-36γ on endogenous T-bet in human primary cells. Ectopic expression of T-bet likewise mediated IL-36γ production in HaCaT keratinocytes that otherwise lack this transcription factor. Additional experiments furthermore revealed that mature IL-36γ has the capability to establish an inflammatory gene expression profile in human primary keratinocytes that displays enhanced mRNA levels for TNFα, CCL20, S100A7, inducible NOS, and IL-36γ itself. Data presented herein shed further light on involvement of T-bet in innate immunity and suggest that IL-36γ, besides IFNγ, may contribute to functions of this transcription factor in immunopathology.
Investigations of current and historical human rights discourses gain new perspectives when viewed as a problem of translation: by examining non-European transformations/displacements/revisions of the universal principles of the UN Declaration (1948), critical implementations of these principles in local practices and – almost more importantly – re-translations of these local transformations into new declarations of human rights principles. The article discusses the complex conditions under which the universal claim of a western human rights discourse could be challenged by considering translational activities which attempt to identify new, but common reference points for a transcultural human rights discourse.
Preface
(2012)
Adipose tissue as a stem cell source is ubiquitously available and has several advantages compared to other sources. It is easily accessible in large quantities with minimal invasive harvesting procedure, and isolation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (ASCs) yields a high amount of stem cells, which is essential for stem-cell-based therapies and tissue engineering. Several studies have provided evidence that ASCs in situ reside in a perivascular niche, whereas the exact localization of ASCs in native adipose tissue is still under debate. ASCs are isolated by their capacity to adhere to plastic. Nevertheless, recent isolation and culture techniques lack standardization. Cultured cells are characterized by their expression of characteristic markers and their capacity to differentiate into cells from meso-, ecto-, and entodermal lineages. ASCs possess a high plasticity and differentiate into various cell types, including adipocytes, osteoblasts, chondrocytes, myocytes, hepatocytes, neural cells, and endothelial and epithelial cells. Nevertheless, recent studies suggest that ASCs are a heterogeneous mixture of cells containing subpopulations of stem and more committed progenitor cells. This paper summarizes and discusses the current knowledge of the tissue localization of ASCs in situ, their characterization and heterogeneity in vitro, and the lack of standardization in isolation and culture methods.
The aim of this article is to systematize selected existing definitions of texts and, from the perspective of research into text comprehension, to compare and contextualize the most frequent concepts applied in the field. These concepts are used in the description of the basic phases and aspects of the text comprehension process; they may be divided into three groups depending on whether they denote the comprehension process itself, the results of this process, or the properties of text. This division should not be viewed as an immutable set of concepts, but rather as a starting point for research into issues of text comprehension and comprehensibility.
Donose se neke nove spoznaje o Lajpciškom lekcionaru, ćiriličnom rukopisu najvjerojatnije iz šestog ili sedmog desetljeća XVI. stoljeća. Ponajprije je riječ o rezultatima analize vodenih znakova, što je osobito važno jer je datacija rukopisa u literaturi bila prijeporna, a zatim i o novim podacima o knjižnici i signaturi rukopisa. Također se, u bliskoj vezi s analizom folijacije rukopisa, izlaže jedna važna tekstološka spoznaja koja pouzdano pokazuje da je predložak bio cjelovit, što indirektno osnažuje tezu da rukopisu na početku nedostaje devet listova, a ne, kako je tvrdio Joseph Schütz, samo jedan.
"O crime do professor de Matemática", de Clarice Lispector, aborda a necessidade inconsciente de punição advinda do sentimento de culpa, que constitui elemento inexorável da psique humana. O espelhamento do homem em seu animal o conduz à aproximação de uma possível consciência deste transtorno, fato que culmina no irremissível abandono do cão. Com base nos ensaios "O estranho" e "O mal–estar na civilização", de Sigmund Freud, almeja–se entender a origem da dolente identificação entre estes dois personagens narrada no conto, bem como o corolário da cultura, responsável pela tristeza humana com a qual o professor irremediavelmente se coaduna.
Quando se acompanha o discurso filosófico acerca da sensibilidade artística, salta aos olhos que nele impera uma dupla tendência no que se refere aos recursos expressivos. Por um lado, nota-se que os meios de expressão acabam resistindo uns em relação aos outros; por outro, percebe-se que tal resistência também se revela bastante fraca, descerrando novas fronteiras e ocasionando ulteriores transições. Tendo isso em vista, o propósito geral do presente artigo consiste em pôr à prova a hipótese de que é no âmbito da música que a moderna ponderação estética descobre o sentido e o alcance do vínculo entre as artes, forjado, em geral, nos termos da auto-compreensão das vanguardas artísticas. Trata-se, em suma, de refazer os passos por meio dos quais a música terminou por se converter, no século XIX, num dos mais importantes veículos de ideias para, a partir do ponto de inflexão representado pela filosofia nietzschiana da maturidade, trazer à plena luz a concepção de "emaranhamento" [Verfransung] das artes, a qual ganha relevo, em especial, na derradeira etapa do itinerário intelectual de Th. W. Adorno.
Searching for new strategies to trigger apoptosis in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), we investigated the effect of two novel classes of apoptosis-targeting agents, i.e. monoclonal antibodies against TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor 1 (mapatumumab) and TRAIL receptor 2 (lexatumumab) and small-molecule inhibitors of inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins. Here, we report that IAP inhibitors synergized with lexatumumab, but not with mapatumumab, to reduce cell viability and to induce apoptosis in several RMS cell lines in a highly synergistic manner (combination index <0.1). Cotreatment-induced apoptosis was accompanied by enhanced activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3; loss of mitochondrial membrane potential; and caspase-dependent apoptosis. In addition, IAP inhibitor and lexatumumab cooperated to stimulate the assembly of a cytosolic complex containing RIP1, FADD, and caspase-8. Importantly, knockdown of RIP1 by RNA interference prevented the formation of the RIP1·FADD·caspase-8 complex and inhibited subsequent activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3; loss of mitochondrial membrane potential; and apoptosis upon treatment with IAP inhibitor and lexatumumab. In addition, RIP1 silencing rescued clonogenic survival of cells treated with the combination of lexatumumab and IAP inhibitor, thus underscoring the critical role of RIP1 in cotreatment-induced apoptosis. By comparison, the TNFα-blocking antibody Enbrel had no effect on IAP inhibitor/lexatumumab-induced apoptosis, indicating that an autocrine TNFα loop is dispensable. By demonstrating that IAP inhibitors and lexatumumab synergistically trigger apoptosis in a RIP1-dependent but TNFα-independent manner in RMS cells, our findings substantially advance our understanding of IAP inhibitor-mediated regulation of TRAIL-induced cell death.
The present study investigates the effects of trait anxiety on the neural efficiency of working memory component functions (manipulation vs. maintenance) in the absence of threat-related stimuli. For the manipulation of affectively neutral verbal information held in working memory, high- and low-anxious individuals (N = 46) did not differ in their behavioral performance, yet trait anxiety was positively related to the neural effort expended on task processing, as measured by BOLD signal changes in fMRI. Higher levels of anxiety were associated with stronger activation in two regions implicated in the goal-directed control of attention--that is, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left inferior frontal sulcus--and with stronger deactivation in a region assigned to the brain's default-mode network--that is, rostral-ventral anterior cingulate cortex. Furthermore, anxiety was associated with a stronger functional coupling of right DLPFC with ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. We interpret our findings as reflecting reduced processing efficiency in high-anxious individuals and point out the need to consider measures of functional integration in addition to measures of regional activation strength when investigating individual differences in neural efficiency. With respect to the functions of working memory, we conclude that anxiety specifically impairs the processing efficiency of (control-demanding) manipulation processes (as opposed to mere maintenance). Notably, this study contributes to an accumulating body of evidence showing that anxiety also affects cognitive processing in the absence of threat-related stimuli.
BACKGROUND: Mutations in the chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 7 gene (CHD7) lead to CHARGE syndrome, an autosomal dominant multiple malformation disorder. Proteins involved in chromatin remodeling typically act in multiprotein complexes. We previously demonstrated that a part of human CHD7 interacts with a part of human CHD8, another chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein presumably being involved in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental (NDD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Because identification of novel CHD7 and CHD8 interacting partners will provide further insights into the pathogenesis of CHARGE syndrome and ASD/NDD, we searched for additional associated polypeptides using the method of stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) in combination with mass spectrometry.
PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: The hitherto uncharacterized FAM124B (Family with sequence similarity 124B) was identified as a potential interaction partner of both CHD7 and CHD8. We confirmed the result by co-immunoprecipitation studies and showed a direct binding to the CHD8 part by direct yeast two hybrid experiments. Furthermore, we characterized FAM124B as a mainly nuclear localized protein with a widespread expression in embryonic and adult mouse tissues.
CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that FAM124B is a potential interacting partner of a CHD7 and CHD8 containing complex. From the overlapping expression pattern between Chd7 and Fam124B at murine embryonic day E12.5 and the high expression of Fam124B in the developing mouse brain, we conclude that Fam124B is a novel protein possibly involved in the pathogenesis of CHARGE syndrome and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Erstnachweise von Paratrachelas maculatus in Österreich und Deutschland (Araneae, Corinnidae)
(2012)
Three adult females of Paratrachelas maculatus (Thorell, 1875) were found inside a house in the south of Vienna, in a cellar in Cologne and in a house in Rüsselsheim. Additional notes on diet in captivity are presented.
The status of the analysis of electron-positron pairs measured by ALICE in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV and central Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV is presented. Key questions and the main challenges of the analysis are discussed on the basis of first raw invariant mass spectra for both collision systems.
Mitte der Woche haben sich die beiden CDU-Bundestagsabgeordneten Krings und Heveling in einer offiziellen Fraktions-Pressemitteilung mit den SOPA-Plänen solidarisiert. Das hat innerhalb der Internet-freundlichen CDU-/CSU-Abgeordneten wie Dorothee Bär, Peter Tauber, Thomas Jarzombek, Peter Altmaier und Michael Kretschmer zu Kritik geführt, die diese über Twitter und Zitate kommunzierten. ...
During postnatal development hippocampal dentate granule cells (GCs) often extend dendrites from the basal pole of their cell bodies into the hilar region. These so-called hilar basal dendrites (hBD) usually regress with maturation. However, hBDs may persist in a subset of mature GCs under certain conditions (both physiological and pathological). The functional role of these hBD-GCs remains not well understood. Here, we have studied hBD-GCs in mature (≥18 days in vitro) mouse entorhino-hippocampal slice cultures under control conditions and have compared their basic functional properties (basic intrinsic and synaptic properties) and structural properties (dendritic arborisation and spine densities) to those of neighboring GCs without hBDs in the same set of cultures. Except for the presence of hBDs, we did not detect major differences between the two GC populations. Furthermore, paired recordings of neighboring GCs with and without hBDs did not reveal evidence for a heavy aberrant GC-to-GC connectivity. Taken together, our data suggest that in control cultures the presence of hBDs on GCs is neither sufficient to predict alterations in the basic functional and structural properties of these GCs nor indicative of a heavy GC-to-GC connectivity between neighboring GCs.
Two Romanian authors, Nora Iuga and Carmen Francesca Banciu have published their impressions about the German capital Berlin. Nora Iuga stayed there twice for a limited period of time (in 2000 and in 2010), whereas Carmen Francesca Banciu decided to live in Berlin after her scholarship there ended in 1991. This is why Carmen Francesca Banciu’s writing changed together with the changing city, which was then under construction not only literally but also in a figurative way integrating new influences due to the opening of Eastern Europe after the end of its isolation during the Cold War. She is one of those new elements which reshape Berlin adding new and different perspectives to its cultural life. Banciu publishes her impressions in Berlin ist mein Paris. Nora Iuga, on the other hand, remains nothing but a visitor. Her ideas about the City and about the Germans in general change a lot during her stays in Berlin. In the end, she leaves for Bucharest with new impressions, which are released in Romania in her book Berlinul meu e un monolog.
In the lower siliceous uplands of Central Europe, various types of nutrient-poor grasslands are widespread and grow intermingled. These species-rich grasslands, often dominated by taxa of the Festuca ovina aggregate, comprise various phytosociological classes. They are remnants of a historic rural lands - cape and are of conservation importance. Few studies on such grasslands are available and there has been disagreement in assigning them to appropriate habitat types or syntaxa. We investigated such nutrient-poor grasslands in the lower Aar valley (Middle Hesse, Rhenish Massif). We surveyed 104 vegetation plots distributed throughout the valley and identified syntaxa to (sub)association level. We carried out supervised classification combining cluster analysis, a priori assignment to classes based on prevailing diagnostic species, and regional refinement based on phi-value maximisation of the units. As a result, we classified five associations within four classes: Polytricho piliferi-Festucetum tenuifoliae/Galio harcynici-Deschampsietum flexuosae and Festuco rubrae-Genistelletum sagittalis (Calluno- Ulicetea), Jasiono montanae-Festucetum ovinae (Koelerio-Corynephoretea), Gentiano-Koelerietum pyramidatae (Festuco-Brometea) and Arrhenatheretum elatioris (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea). Ecologically, soil acidity (resulting from Ca concentrations of the bedrock) was the main cause of floristic dissimilarity of the grasslands and thus community differentiation. Many stands grew on soils with intermediate pH and showed a peculiar mixture of basiphilous and acidophilous species. We conclude that (i) our approach of supervised classification yields convincing reproducible results when a syntaxonomic system is adapted top-down to a geographically restricted area, (ii) nutrient-poor siliceous grasslands dominated by taxa of the Festuca ovina aggregate can be well assigned to ecologically meaningful syntaxa, and (iii) the nutrient-poor siliceous grasslands of the Lahn-Dill Highlands are of high conservation relevance and in urgent need of protection.
In acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), hematopoietic differentiation is blocked and immature blasts accumulate in the bone marrow and blood. APL is associated with chromosomal aberrations, including t(15;17) and t(11;17). For these two translocations, the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα) is fused to the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene or the promyelocytic zinc finger (PLZF) gene, respectively. Both fusion proteins lead to the formation of a high-molecular-weight complex. High-molecular-weight complexes are caused by the “coiled-coil” domain of PML or the BTB/POZ domain of PLZF. PML/RARα without the “coiled-coil” fails to block differentiation and mediates an all-trans retinoic acid-response. Similarly, mutations in the BTB/POZ domain disrupt the high-molecular-weight complex, abolishing the leukemic potential of PLZF/RARα. Specific interfering polypeptides were used to target the oligomerization domain of PML/RARα or PLZF/RARα. PML/RARα and PLZF/RARα were analyzed for the ability to form high-molecular-weight complexes, the protein stability and the potential to induce a leukemic phenotype in the presence of the interfering peptides. Expression of these interfering peptides resulted in a reduced replating efficiency and overcame the differentiation block induced by PML/RARα and PLZF/RARα in murine hematopoietic stem cells. This expression also destabilized the PLZF/RARα-induced high-molecular-weight complex formation and caused the degradation of the fusion protein. Targeting fusion proteins through interfering peptides is a promising approach to further elucidate the biology of leukemia.
Autophagy has long been thought to be an essential but unselective bulk degradation pathway. However, increasing evidence suggests selective autophagosomal turnover of a broad range of substrates. Bifunctional autophagy receptors play a key role in selective autophagy by tethering cargo to the site of autophagosomal engulfment. While the identity of molecular components involved in selective autophagy has been revealed at least to some extent, we are only beginning to understand how selectivity is achieved in this process. Here, we summarize the mechanistic and structural basis of receptor-mediated selective autophagy.
In den letzten Jahrhunderten hat der Mensch weltweit große Umweltschäden angerichtet, indem er, bewusst oder unbewusst, Tier- und Pflanzenarten von einem Kontinent zum anderen verbrachte. Entdecker, Forscher und Sammler holten Tiere und Pflanzen aus aller Welt nach Europa oder verschleppten europäische Arten auf andere Kontinente oder Inseln (NENTWIG 2011). Die verheerenden Auswirkungen des Europäischen Wildkaninchens, welches in Australien freigesetzt wurde, sich dort rasant vermehrte und den Kontinent fast kahl gefressen hat, sind allgemein bekannt. Weniger bekannt ist, dass die durch die sogenannten biologischen Invasionen angerichteten Schäden auch in Europa in die Millionen gehen. So kostet z. B. die Kontrolle sich massiv ausbreitender eingeschleppter Knöterich- Arten allein in England jährlich 1,5 Milliarden Pfund (MARTON-LEFÈVRE, zit. in NENTWIG 2011). Die durch Mink (Neovison vison) und Bisam (Ondatra zibethicus) verursachten jährlichen Schäden in Deutschland sind dagegen vergleichsweise gering, belaufen sich jedoch ebenfalls auf mehrere Millionen Euro (NENTWIG 2011). Im Unterschied zur natürlichen Artenausbreitung werden nicht-einheimische Arten durch den Menschen über biogeografische Grenzen hinweg und in kurzer Zeit verbreitet. Die Geschichte der Ausbreitung nichteinheimischer Arten ist eng mit der Eroberung der Welt durch die Europäer verbunden. Die Entdeckung Amerikas im Jahr 1492 gilt als eigentlicher Beginn der Globalisierung und damit des Erscheinens von nicht-einheimischen Arten. Alle Arten, die nach diesem Datum bei uns eingeführt wurden, werden als Neophyten bzw. Neozoen bezeichnet. Breiten sich diese Arten schnell aus und verursachen dabei Umweltschäden, z. B. indem sie heimische Arten beeinträchtigen oder verdrängen, spricht man von „invasive Arten“. Als Neozoon ist auch der Waschbär (Procyon lotor) einzustufen, der sich seit den 1930er Jahren vor allem von Hessen und Brandenburg aus mit zunehmender Geschwindigkeit in Deutschland und Mitteleuropa ausbreitet und vermehrt invasive Merkmale aufweist.
Im Februar 2011 wurde in Höxter eine junge weibliche Blaumeise tot aufgefunden. Sie hatte ein Fenster angeflogen sich dabei das Genick gebrochen. Der Vogel war beringt. Der Beringungscode wurde abgelesen und der beringenden Einrichtung übermittelt. Kurze Zeit später erreichte den Autor folgende Mitteilung: „Der Vogel wurde am 13.11.2008 als Vogel im ersten Lebensjahr in Sorinnes, Belgien, beringt. Die Koordinaten des Beringungsortes lauten 50°16‘ N, 4°58‘ E. Der zum Todeszeitpunkt (07.02.2011) etwa 2,5 Jahre alte Vogel wurde somit 357 km vom Beringungsort entfernt wieder gefunden.“ Es ist wahrscheinlich, dass die kleine Meise als Jungvogel im Rahmen der Dismigration ins Weserbergland abgewandert ist. Bemerkenswert ist die große Distanz, die der Vogel dabei zurückgelegt hat.“
Die Landschaftsstation im Kreis Höxter wird zumeist über ihre Beteiligung an verschiedenen, im Fokus der Öffentlichkeit stehenden Projekten wahrgenommen. Dazu zählt das Projekt „Erlesene Natur“, in dessen Rahmen viel beachtete Erlebnisgebiete wie der Weser-Skywalk im NSG „Hannoversche Klippen“, der neu gestaltete Wanderweg im NSG „Desenberg“ oder das Weidenpalais, ein gewaltiges Lebendbauwerk im Schlosspark Rheder, entstanden. Dazu zählen auch die naturnahe Gestaltung mittelwaldähnlicher Waldränder, Forschungsarbeiten zum Klimawandel sowie das 2011 begonnene Naturschutzprojekt „Vielfalt auf Kalk“ zur Optimierung von insgesamt 11 Trockenlebensräumen im Kreis Höxter. Gerne nutzen wir die „Beiträge zur Naturkunde zwischen Egge und Weser“, um Sie, liebe Leserinnen und Leser, über die Ziele und den Fortgang unserer Projekte zu informieren. Der nachfolgende Tätigkeitsbericht bezieht sich auf die originären Aufgaben unserer Station, die von der Bevölkerung zwar nicht so intensiv wahrgenommen werden wie die oben beschriebenen Projekte, denen wir aber den Großteil unserer Arbeitszeit widmen. Bevor wir die fachlichen Aspekte unserer Arbeit darlegen, möchten wir die Einführung nutzen, um Sie über aktuelle Entwicklungen in unserer Geschäftsstelle zu informieren. Über 10 Jahre lang haben Zivildienstleistende die praktische Landschaftspflege in der Station entscheidend mit geprägt. Am 31. August 2011 endete diese Ära mit dem letzten Arbeitstag von Jannis IFFLAND, dem letzten „Zivi“ der Landschaftsstation. Ihm und all seinen Vorgängern gilt unser Dank für Ihren engagierten Einsatz zum Wohle der Natur im Kreis Höxter. Das bisherige Niveau der Landschaftspflegearbeiten wurde auch im Jahr 2011 durch die Stammbesetzung im Pflegetrupp mit Vorarbeiter Ralf SCHAPERDOT und Mitarbeiter Lars MASSMANN abgesichert. Die notwendigen personellen Verstärkungen zur Umsetzung der vielfältigen Aufgaben erfolgten einen Monat nach dem Weggang des letzten Zivis. Im Oktober 2011 leitete Pablo MENN aus Warburg als erster Bundesfreiwilliger der Landschaftsstation eine neue Ära ein. Der Bundesfreiwilligendienst (BFD) wird als Nachfolgemodell zum bisherigen Zivildienst über den Bund finanziert. Die Einsatzzeit beträgt in der Regel 12 Monate. Im Vergleich zum Zivildienst besitzt der BFD einen deutlich höheren Bildungscharakter, der allein schon durch die vorgeschriebene Mindestzahl von 25 Bildungstagen/ Jahr für Teilnehmer/innen unter 27 Jahren deutlich wird. Die Landschaftsstation möchte Bundesfreiwilligen einen interessanten Mix aus dem breiten Aufgabenspektrum des Naturschutzes anbieten, der sich nicht nur auf die Landschaftspflege beschränkt, und freut sich auf weitere Bewerberinnen und Bewerber. Als weitere Verstärkung wurde ebenfalls im Oktober Werner HEINEMEIER aus Höxter eingestellt. Er wird als Teilnehmer des bundesweiten Modellprojektes „Bürgerarbeit“ über die ARGE Höxter kofinanziert und hat sich bemerkenswert schnell in die Arbeitsabläufe der Station integriert. Personelle Änderungen ergaben sich im Projektteam „Erlesene Natur“ durch das freiwillige Ausscheiden von Birte BRAND, die mit großem Engagement jeweils eine halbe Stelle beim Kreis Höxter und bei der Landschaftsstation ausfüllte. Sie betreibt inzwischen in ihrem Heimatdorf Hagedorn die „Futterkrippe“, einen kleinen Regionalladen. Die freigewordene halbe Stelle in der Station konnte im Anschluss mit Eike SPELLERBERG aus Höxter neu besetzt werden. Ihre Aufgabenschwerpunkte liegen im Bereich der Umsetzung von Maßnahmen und umfassen neben den Ausschreibungen auch die Bauüberwachung und die Abnahme der Gewerke. Weitere Verstärkung erhielt die Geschäftsstelle durch die Einstellung von Michael TILLY, der bereits über Praktika und Werkverträge für die Landschaftsstation tätig war und sich als „Allrounder“ in der Landschaftspflege sowie der Bearbeitung wissenschaftlicher Aufgabenstellungen bewährt hatte. Wie in den vergangenen Jahren waren auch 2011 wieder eine Reihe von Praktikantinnen und Praktikanten an der erfolgreichen Bearbeitung diverser Aufgaben in der Station beteiligt. So kümmerte sich Benjamin GERECKE im Rahmen eines über die ARGE finanzierten Praktikums und einer darauf folgenden halbjährigen Festeinstellung erfolgreich um den Aufbau einer GIS-gestützten Access-Datenbank und die Entwicklung einer praktikablen Eingabemaske. Britta LIEBE aus Höxter unterstützte im Rahmen ihres fünfmonatigen Praxissemesters insbesondere eine Vielzahl von Artenschutzmaßnahmen. Ihnen und allen an dieser Stelle namentlich nicht aufgeführten Helfern und ehrenamtlichen Unterstützern gebührt unser Dank. Sie alle haben dazu beigetragen, dass unser Verein den Naturschutz im Kreis Höxter weiter etablieren konnte. Unser Dank gilt weiterhin den Fachbehörden und Naturschutzverbänden/- vereinen für die gute Zusammenarbeit. Unser Dank gilt auch dem Ministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Landwirtschaft, Natur- und Verbraucherschutz (MKULNV) für die hohe Wertschätzung der Arbeit der Biologischen Stationen in NRW. Nach vielen aus finanzieller Sicht schwierigen Jahren wurde 2011 der Gesamtetat zur Finanzierung der Biologischen Stationen in NRW angehoben und bis 2015 gesichert. Ein Erfolg für den Naturschutz in NRW, maßgeblich beeinflusst vom rührigen Vorstand des Dachverbandes der Biologischen Stationen. Das nachfolgend dokumentierte, vielfältige Aufgabenspektrum der Station führt dazu, dass die hauptamtlichen Mitarbeiter Umweltbildung in Form von Exkursionen und Vorträgen nicht in der eigentlich gewünschten Quantität anbieten können. Diese vermeintliche Lücke wird inzwischen hervorragend von den auch über die Landschaftsstation ausgebildeten „KulturLand- Führern“ geschlossen, deren Angebote jeweils in einem ansprechenden Jahresprogramm zusammengefasst werden (s. www.kulturland.org). Dennoch können Sie Exkursionswünsche weiterhin gerne an unsere Geschäftsstelle richten. Bei Interesse nehmen wir vorzugsweise im Winterhalbjahr auch gerne Einladungen zu Versammlungen wahr, um unsere Lebensräume und Naturschätze im Kreis Höxter, sowie die Arbeit der Landschaftsstation zu präsentieren.
"Kalkgeprägte Trockenlebensräume im Kreis Höxter" – ein LIFE+ - Projekt für den Kreis Höxter (NRW)
(2012)
Lebensräume auf Kalk zeichnen sich häufig durch eine besonders vielfältige Flora und Fauna aus. Für den Erhalt der Biodiversität sind sie daher von großer Bedeutung. Während Kalklebensräume im Süden Deutschlands recht weit verbreitet sind, beschränken sie sich in Nordwest- Deutschland im Wesentlichen auf das Weserbergland und die Eifel. Im Kreis Höxter haben im trockenen Standortbereich vor allem die Kalk- Halbtrockenrasen und Orchideen-Kalkbuchenwälder, auf nassen Standorten die Kalk-Flachmoore eine herausragende Bedeutung. Der Bedeutung dieser Lebensräume für den Erhalt der Biodiversität in Europa und als Bestandteil des europäischen Naturerbes Rechnung tragend, genießen sie den Schutz der Fauna-Flora- Habitat-Richtlinie (FFH-Richtlinie), die 1992 durch die Europäische Kommission erlassen wurde und für die Mitgliedsländer der EU bindend ist. Die FFH-Richtlinie sieht vor, dass für den Erhalt der im Anhang I der Richtlinie benannten Lebensräume von gemeinschaftlichem Interesse besondere Schutzgebiete, die sogenannten FFH-Gebiete oder Natura 2000-Gebiete, auszuweisen sind. Nach nationalem Recht werden diese in Deutschland zumeist als Naturschutzgebiete rechtlich gesichert. Das so entstandene europaweite Netz von Schutzgebieten repräsentiert im Wesentlichen unser europäisches Naturerbe. Gemäß FFH-Richtlinie sind aber nicht nur Lebensraumtypen zu schützen: Neben dem Netz der Natura 2000-Schutzgebiete ist der direkte Artenschutz die zweite wichtige Säule im europäischen Naturschutz. Da die Vorkommen von Arten des gemeinschaftlichen Interesses aber häufig nicht auf Schutzgebiete beschränkt sind, genießen ihre Vorkommen auch außerhalb derselben den Schutz der Richtlinie. In Deutschland wurde diesem Umstand im § 42 Bundesnaturschutzgesetz Rechnung getragen, wonach den Arten des Anhang IV der FFH-Richtlinie als sogenannte „streng geschützte Arten“ ein besonderer Schutzstatus verliehen wurde. Einen anderen Weg hat man bei den Arten des Anhanges II der FFH-Richtlinie gewählt: Für ihren Erhalt sind besondere Schutzgebiete auszuweisen. Dies ist im Kreis Höxter z. B. für den Kammmolch (Triturus cristatus) geschehen, für den insgesamt drei Schutzgebiete ausgewiesen wurden. Um den Zielsetzungen der Richtlinie gerecht zu werden, ist der sogenannte „günstige Erhaltungszustand“ der Natura 2000-Gebiete und der Arten des gemeinschaftlichen Interesses zu gewährleisten. Dies bedeutet häufig, Pflege- und Entwicklungsmaßnahmen durchführen zu müssen, was mit nicht unerheblichen Kosten verbunden sein kann. Die EU fördert die Umsetzung ihrer Richtlinie deshalb im Rahmen des sogenannten LIFE+ -Programmes (= L’ Instrument Financier pour l’ Environnement), welches EU-weit für die laufende Förderperiode von 2007 bis 2013 z. B. 2,143 Mrd. € bereitstellt. 2010 hat sich der Kreis Höxter dazu entschieden, zusammen mit der Landschaftsstation im Kreis Höxter einen LIFE+- Antrag zu stellen. Im Rahmen einer von der Bezirksregierung in Detmold finanzierten Studie zum Pflege- und Entwicklungsbedarf in den FFH-Gebieten des Kreises konnte gezeigt werden, dass der größte Handlungsbedarf im Bereich der Kalk-Halbtrockenrasen (LRT (= Lebensraumtyp) 6210), der Wacholderstände auf Kalkrasen (LRT 5130), der Flachland-Mähwiesen (LRT 6510) und der Kalk-Orchideen-Buchenwälder (LRT 9150) besteht. Der Antrag zielte daher insbesondere auf diese und weitere nah verwandte Lebensraumtypen ab. Allen Lebensraumtypen ist gemeinsam, dass sie im Weserbergland an Kalk als Ausgangsgestein gebunden sind und dem trockenen Standortbereich zuzuordnen sind. Als Projekttitel wurde daher „Kalkgeprägte Trockenlebensräume im Kulturland Kreis Höxter“ gewählt, oder abgekürzt und „griffiger“: „Vielfalt auf Kalk“.
The study of acupuncture-related sensations, like deqi and propagated sensations along channels (PSCs), has a long tradition in acupuncture basic research. The phenomenon itself, however, remains poorly understood. To study the connection between PSC and classical meridians, we applied a geographic information system (GIS) to analyze sketches of acupuncture sensations from healthy volunteers after laser acupuncture. As PSC can be subtle, we aimed at reducing the confounding impact of external stimuli by carrying out the experiment in a floatation tank under restricted environmental stimulation. 82.4% of the subjects experienced PSC, that is, they had line-like or 2-dimensional sensations, although there were some doubts that these were related to the laser stimulation. Line-like sensations on the same limb were averaged to calculate sensation mean courses, which were then compared to classical meridians by measuring the mean distance between the two. Distances ranged from 0.83 cm in the case of the heart (HT) and spleen (SP) meridian to 6.27 cm in the case of the kidney (KI) meridian. Furthermore, PSC was observed to “jump” between adjacent meridians. In summary, GIS has proven to be a valuable tool to study PSC, and our results suggest a close connection between PSC and classical meridians.
The floristic composition and vegetation partitioning of the ephemeral wetlands of the Pilliga Outwash within the Pilliga National Park and Pilliga State Conservation Area (30˚30’S, 149˚22’E) on the North Western Plains of New South Wales are described. SPOT5 imagery was used to map 340 wetlands across the Pilliga Outwash. A total of 240 plots within 31 wetlands explored composition and species richness in relation to water depth and wetland size. The predominant community described is the species-rich herbfield of shallow basin wetlands, along with the structurally distinct but the less common sedgeland/herbfield of the deeper ‘tank’ wetlands and a single wetland with a floristically depauperate Diplachne fusca wet grassland. A total of 131 taxa were recorded including three species listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995): Eriocaulon australasicum, Lepidium monoplocoides and Myriophyllum implicatum. New records for an additional six taxa were recorded for the North Western Plains. 11% of taxa were exotic in origin.
Multivariate analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling have been used to compare the floristic composition of vegetation dominated by Spotted Gum, Corymbia maculata, and Grey Ironbark, Eucalyptus paniculata, from the Pittwater and Gosford local government areas, and elsewhere on the Central Coast of New South Wales. When placed within a regional context, vegetation from both local government areas is strongly related, and is sufficiently distinct (at 30% similarity) from other areas of Spotted Gum-Ironbark vegetation within the region to warrant their collective consideration as Pittwater Spotted Gum Forest (PSGF), an Endangered Ecological Community in New South Wales. Within Pittwater local government area, two forms of PSGF are present: a dryer, more widespread form present on ridges and slopes, and a moister form with strong littoral rainforest affinities confined to gullies. Gosford local government area supports only the dryer form. Extant and pre-1750 mapping of PSGF from both local government areas (excluding Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park) shows a total extant distribution of 227 ha, and since 1750 an estimated loss of 727 ha (76%) from the original 954 ha. PSGF is present in two secure conservation reserves: Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park (~40 ha, Thomas & Benson 1985) and Bouddi National Park (~30 ha, Bell 2009), totaling ~ 70 ha. Despite this, much of the extant distribution lies at the reserve-urban interface, and is subject to ongoing threats of regular low-intensity fire, unmitigated clearing and weed invasion.
The transitional nucleus 154Gd was investigated using a combination of a photon scattering experiment and a γγ-coincidence study following the β decay of 154Tb. A novel decay channel from the scissors mode to the band head of the β-band was observed. Its transition strength B(M1; 1sc+ → 0β+) was determined. An IBM-2 calculation reveals a correlation of this decay channel and the shape phase transition between spherical and deformed nuclei.
Background: Dopamine plays an important role in orienting, response anticipation and movement evaluation. Thus, we examined the influence of functional variants related to dopamine inactivation in the dopamine transporter (DAT1) and catechol-O-methyltransferase genes (COMT) on the time-course of motor processing in a contingent negative variation (CNV) task.
Methods: 64-channel EEG recordings were obtained from 195 healthy adolescents of a community-based sample during a continuous performance task (A-X version). Early and late CNV as well as motor postimperative negative variation were assessed. Adolescents were genotyped for the COMT Val158Met and two DAT1 polymorphisms (variable number tandem repeats in the 3′-untranslated region and in intron 8).
Results: The results revealed a significant interaction between COMT and DAT1, indicating that COMT exerted stronger effects on lateralized motor post-processing (centro-parietal motor postimperative negative variation) in homozygous carriers of a DAT1 haplotype increasing DAT1 expression. Source analysis showed that the time interval 500–1000 ms after the motor response was specifically affected in contrast to preceding movement anticipation and programming stages, which were not altered.
Conclusions: Motor slow negative waves allow the genomic imaging of dopamine inactivation effects on cortical motor post-processing during response evaluation. This is the first report to point towards epistatic effects in the motor system during response evaluation, i.e. during the post-processing of an already executed movement rather than during movement programming.
Background: Dopamine plays an important role in orienting and the regulation of selective attention to relevant stimulus characteristics. Thus, we examined the influences of functional variants related to dopamine inactivation in the dopamine transporter (DAT1) and catechol-O-methyltransferase genes (COMT) on the time-course of visual processing in a contingent negative variation (CNV) task.
Methods: 64-channel EEG recordings were obtained from 195 healthy adolescents of a community-based sample during a continuous performance task (A-X version). Early and late CNV as well as preceding visual evoked potential components were assessed.
Results: Significant additive main effects of DAT1 and COMT on the occipito-temporal early CNV were observed. In addition, there was a trend towards an interaction between the two polymorphisms. Source analysis showed early CNV generators in the ventral visual stream and in frontal regions. There was a strong negative correlation between occipito-temporal visual post-processing and the frontal early CNV component. The early CNV time interval 500–1000 ms after the visual cue was specifically affected while the preceding visual perception stages were not influenced.
Conclusions: Late visual potentials allow the genomic imaging of dopamine inactivation effects on visual post-processing. The same specific time-interval has been found to be affected by DAT1 and COMT during motor post-processing but not motor preparation. We propose the hypothesis that similar dopaminergic mechanisms modulate working memory encoding in both the visual and motor and perhaps other systems.
Particular botanical sites have always been attractive to botanists, and the recording of such sites even in an ad hoc way, adds to our long-term documentation of ecological change. Here we look at records from an unusual dry rainforest site in western Sydney, first recognised in 1910, and re-recorded on several occasions more recently. Though the site has little formal conservation protection, the records indicate that many of the original species still survive at the site, while the periodic recording draws attention to the scientific value of the site, particularly at a local level, and has increased its value as an ecological reference site. Much of the vegetation of the Cumberland Plain has been subject to major clearing and disturbance over the past 200 years, and almost all vegetation is recovering in some way. Repeated visits are valuable for getting a complete picture of the flora; repeated visits by the same botanist over the shorter term (e.g. within a few years) may also be valuable, especially as the revisiting botanist may be more likely to notice changes. By documenting sites now, and continuing this over future years; we can enhance the value of many existing sites.
Newnes Plateau Shrub Swamps are a series of low nutrient temperate montane peat swamps around 1100 m elevation in the upper Blue Mountains, west of Sydney (lat 33° 23’ S; long 150° 13’E). Transect-based vegetation studies show a closely related group of swamps with expanses of permanently moist, gently sloping peatlands. Vegetation patterns are related to surface hydrology and subsurface topography, which determine local peat depth. While there is evidence that a group of the highest elevation swamps on the western side of the Plateau are more dependent on rainwater, the majority of swamps, particularly those in the Carne Creek catchment, and east and south of it, may beconsidered primarily groundwater dependent with a permanently high watertable maintained by groundwater aquifers. An integral part of the swamps are a number of threatened groundwater dependent biota (plants–Boronia deanei subsp. deanei, Dillwynia stipulifera, dragonfly– Petalura gigantea, lizard– Eulamprus leuraensis), which are obligate swamp dwellers. This association of dependence leaves the entire swamp ecosystem highly susceptible to threats from any loss of groundwater, the current major one being the impact of damage to the confining aquicludes, aquitards, aquifers and peat substrates as a result of subsidence associated with longwall mining. Impacts on the swamps may also result from changes to hydrology through damming of creeks, mine waste water discharge, increased moisture competition from pine plantations, recreational motorbike and off-road vehicle tracks and climate change. If these groundwater dependent ecosystems do not receive protection from activities such as longwall mining subsidence, significant ecological damage is unlikely to be avoided or able to be mitigated even where provisions of the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation and NSW Threatened Species Conservation Acts apply to groundwater dependent swamps and biota. The importance of the highest elevation part of the Plateau for a number of restricted (some endemic) plant species is also discussed.
A complete, well-preserved record of the Cenomanian/Turonian (C/T) Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE-2) was recovered from Demerara Rise in the southern North Atlantic Ocean (ODP site 1260). Across this interval, we determined changes in the stable carbon isotopic composition of sulfur-bound phytane (δ13Cphytane), a biomarker for photosynthetic algae. The δ13Cphytane record shows a positive excursion at the onset of the OAE-2 interval, with an unusually large amplitude (~7‰) compared to existing C/T proto-North Atlantic δ13Cphytane records (3–6‰). Overall, the amplitude of the excursion of δ13Cphytane decreases with latitude. Using reconstructed sea surface temperature (SST) gradients for the proto-North Atlantic, we investigated environmental factors influencing the latitudinal δ13Cphytane gradient. The observed gradient is best explained by high productivity at DSDP Site 367 and Tarfaya basin before OAE-2, which changed in overall high productivity throughout the proto-North Atlantic during OAE-2. During OAE-2, productivity at site 1260 and 603B was thus more comparable to the mid-latitude sites. Using these constraints as well as the SST and δ13Cphytane-records from Site 1260, we subsequently reconstructed pCO2 levels across the OAE-2 interval. Accordingly, pCO2 decreased from ca. 1750 to 900 ppm during OAE-2, consistent with enhanced organic matter burial resulting in lowering pCO2. Whereas the onset of OAE-2 coincided with increased pCO2, in line with a volcanic trigger for this event, the observed cooling within OAE-2 probably resulted from CO2 sequestration in black shales outcompeting CO2 input into the atmosphere. Together these results show that the ice-free Cretaceous world was sensitive to changes in pCO2 related to perturbations of the global carbon cycle.
In the title compound, C27H37N2 +·Cl−·2CH2Cl2, the cation and the anion are each located on a crystallographic mirror plane. Both of the dichloromethane solvent molecules show a disorder across a mirror plane over two equally occupied positions. Additionally, one isopropyl group is also disordered. In the crystal, the cations are connected to the chloride ions via C—H[cdots, three dots, centered]Cl hydrogen bonds.
In the title compound, C27H37N2 +·Br−·2CH2Cl2, both the cation and the anion are located on a crystallographic mirror plane. Both of the dichloromethane solvent molecules show a disorder across a mirror plane over two equally occupied positions. In the crystal, the cations are connnected to the bromide ions via C—H[cdots, three dots, centered]Br hydrogen bonds.
The crystal packing of the title compound, C13H19NO·0.33C7H8, shows a channel at [001], which contains grossly disordered toluene solvent molecules. The angle between the benzene ring and the mean plane of the formamide group is 71.1 (1)°. The amide groups of neighbouring molecules are connected by N—H(...)O hydrogen bonds, forming 21 helical chains propagating along [001]. Molecules are also connected by weak intermolecular C—H(...)O hydrogen bonds, forming 61 helices.
Background: Ewing sarcoma patients have a poor prognosis despite multimodal therapy. Integration of combination immunotherapeutic strategies into first-/second-line regimens represents promising treatment options, particularly for patients with intrinsic or acquired resistance to conventional therapies. We evaluated the susceptibility of Ewing sarcoma to natural killer cell-based combination immunotherapy, by assessing the capacity of histone deacetylase inhibitors to improve immune recognition and sensitize for natural killer cell cytotoxicity.
Methods: Using flow cytometry, ELISA and immunohistochemistry, expression of natural killer cell receptor ligands was assessed in chemotherapy-sensitive/-resistant Ewing sarcoma cell lines, plasma and tumours. Natural killer cell cytotoxicity was evaluated in Chromium release assays. Using ATM/ATR inhibitor caffeine, the contribution of the DNA damage response pathway to histone deacetylase inhibitor-induced ligand expression was assessed.
Results: Despite comparable expression of natural killer cell receptor ligands, chemotherapy-resistant Ewing sarcoma exhibited reduced susceptibility to resting natural killer cells. Interleukin-15-activation of natural killer cells overcame this reduced sensitivity. Histone deacetylase inhibitor-pretreatment induced NKG2D-ligand expression in an ATM/ATR-dependent manner and sensitized for NKG2D-dependent cytotoxicity (2/4 cell lines). NKG2D-ligands were expressed in vivo, regardless of chemotherapy-response and disease stage. Soluble NKG2D-ligand plasma concentrations did not differ between patients and controls.
Conclusion: Our data provide a rationale for combination immunotherapy involving immune effector and target cell manipulation in first-/second-line treatment regimens for Ewing sarcoma.
Proteomic profiles of myocardial tissue in two different etiologies of heart failure were investigated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Right atrial appendages from 10 patients with hemodynamically significant isolated aortic valve disease and from 10 patients with isolated symptomatic coronary heart disease were collected during elective cardiac surgery. As presented in an earlier study by our group (Baykut et al., 2006), both disease forms showed clearly different pattern distribution characteristics. Interesting enough, the classification patterns could be used for correctly sorting unknown test samples in their correct categories. However, in order to fully exploit and also validate these findings there is a definite need for unambiguous identification of the differences between different etiologies at molecular level. In this study, samples representative for the aortic valve disease and coronary heart disease were prepared, tryptically digested, and analyzed using an FT-ICR MS that allowed collision-induced dissociation (CID) of selected classifier masses. By using the fragment spectra, proteins were identified by database searches. For comparison and further validation, classifier masses were also fragmented and analyzed using HPLC-/Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight/time-of-flight (TOF/TOF) mass spectrometry. Desmin and lumican precursor were examples of proteins found in aortic samples at higher abundances than in coronary samples. Similarly, adenylate kinase isoenzyme was found in coronary samples at a higher abundance. The described methodology could also be feasible in search for specific biomarkers in plasma or serum for diagnostic purposes.
Background: Despite limited effectiveness of short-term psychotherapy for chronic depression, there is a lack of trials of long-term psychotherapy. Our study is the first to determine the effectiveness of controlled long-term psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral (CBT) treatments and to assess the effects of preferential vs. randomized assessment.
Methods/design: Patients are assigned to treatment according to their preference or randomized (if they have no clear preference). Up to 80 sessions of psychodynamic or psychoanalytically oriented treatments (PAT) or up to 60 sessions of CBT are offered during the first year in the study. After the first year, PAT can be continued according to the ‘naturalistic’ usual method of treating such patients within the system of German health care (normally from 240 up to 300 sessions over two to three years). CBT therapists may extend their treatment up to 80 sessions, but focus mainly maintenance and relapse prevention. We plan to recruit a total of 240 patients (60 per arm). A total of 11 assessments are conducted throughout treatment and up to three years after initiation of treatment. The primary outcome measures are the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS, independent clinician rating) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) after the first year.
Discussion: We combine a naturalistic approach with randomized controlled trials(RCTs)to investigate how effectively chronic depression can be treated on an outpatient basis by the two forms of treatment reimbursed in the German healthcare system and we will determine the effects of treatment preference vs. randomization.
Background: Hepatitis C decreases health related quality of life (HRQL) which is further diminished by antiviral therapy. HRQL improves after successful treatment. This trial explores the course of and factors associated with HRQL in patients given individualized or standard treatment based on early treatment response (Ditto-study).
Methods: The Short Form (SF)-36 Health Survey was administered at baseline (n = 192) and 24 weeks after the end of therapy (n = 128).
Results: At baseline HRQL was influenced by age, participating center, severity of liver disease and income. Exploring the course of HRQL (scores at follow up minus baseline), only the dimension general health increased. In this dimension patients with a relapse or sustained response differed from non-responders. Men and women differed in the dimension bodily pain. Treatment schedule did not influence the course of HRQL.
Conclusions: Main determinants of HRQL were severity of liver disease, age, gender, participating center and response to treatment. Our results do not exclude a more profound negative impact of individualized treatment compared to standard, possibly caused by higher doses and extended treatment duration in the individualized group. Antiviral therapy might have a more intense and more prolonged negative impact on females.
Starting from the observation that substantively free migration is impossible in a world where millions lack the resources to move country, this article evaluates two contenders for the second-best alternative. On the face of it, arguments from freedom of association and material inequality appear to commend formally open borders, while those from liberty and equality of opportunity seem to favour a migration lottery. However, the argument from liberty gives us only a presumption in favour of freedom of movement, rather than an equal human right. This is not enough to make a compelling case for a migration lottery. Moreover, the idea that equality of opportunity requires a migration lottery rests on the belief that this will facilitate self-realisation. Yet it is free movement which better promotes self-realisation. Therefore, it is concluded that the case for a migration lottery is ultimately unpersuasive.
We have sampled atmospheric ice nuclei (IN) and aerosol in Germany and in Israel during spring 2010. IN were analyzed by the static vapor diffusion chamber FRIDGE, as well as by electron microscopy. During the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption of April 2010 we have measured the highest ice nucleus number concentrations (>600 l−1) in our record of 2 yr of daily IN measurements in central Germany. Even in Israel, located about 5000 km away from Iceland, IN were as high as otherwise only during desert dust storms. The fraction of aerosol activated as ice nuclei at −18 °C and 119% rhice and the corresponding area density of ice-active sites per aerosol surface were considerably higher than what we observed during an intense outbreak of Saharan dust over Europe in May 2008.
Pure volcanic ash accounts for at least 53–68% of the 239 individual ice nucleating particles that we collected in aerosol samples from the event and analyzed by electron microscopy. Volcanic ash samples that had been collected close to the eruption site were aerosolized in the laboratory and measured by FRIDGE. Our analysis confirms the relatively poor ice nucleating efficiency (at −18 °C and 119% ice-saturation) of such "fresh" volcanic ash, as it had recently been found by other workers. We find that both the fraction of the aerosol that is active as ice nuclei as well as the density of ice-active sites on the aerosol surface are three orders of magnitude larger in the samples collected from ambient air during the volcanic peaks than in the aerosolized samples from the ash collected close to the eruption site. From this we conclude that the ice-nucleating properties of volcanic ash may be altered substantially by aging and processing during long-range transport in the atmosphere, and that global volcanism deserves further attention as a potential source of atmospheric ice nuclei.
Background: Numerous cases of swine-origin 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus (H1N1)-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) bridged by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy have been reported; however, complication rates are high. We present our experience with H1N1-associated ARDS and successful bridging of lung function using superimposed high-frequency jet ventilation (SHFJV) in combination with continuous positive airway pressure/assisted spontaneous breathing (CPAP/ASB).
Methods: We admitted five patients with H1N1 infection and ARDS to our intensive care unit. Although all patients required pure oxygen and controlled ventilation, oxygenation was insufficient. We applied SHFJV/CPAP/ASB to improve oxygenation.
Results: Initial PaO2/FiO2 ratio prior SHFJV was 58-79 mmHg. In all patients, successful oxygenation was achieved by SHFJV (PaO2/FiO2 ratio 105-306 mmHg within 24 h). Spontaneous breathing was set during first hours after admission. SHFJV could be stopped after 39, 40, 72, 100, or 240 h. Concomitant pulmonary herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection was observed in all patients. Two patients were successfully discharged. The other three patients relapsed and died within 7 weeks mainly due to combined HSV infection and in two cases reoccurring H1N1 infection.
Conclusions: SHFJV represents an alternative to bridge lung function successfully and improve oxygenation in the critically ill.
In the aftermath of an increasing integration of property and financial markets, the real estate industry is subject to soaring internationalization processes. Since international institutional investors appeared, transnational real estate investments have increased tremendously. In recent years, Central and Eastern European countries have been becoming more attractive to institutional investors and are therefore being integrated into international market structures. Within these countries, Warsaw emerged as the most dynamic and important real estate market. But what are the mechanisms and practices through which the real estate market of Warsaw becomes international? Which networks, intermediaries and frames are necessary to constitute a mature real estate market? The article argues that international real estate consultants are playing a crucial role in the underlying internationalization process. They are acting at the interface between investors, developers, construction companies and tenants and are therefore becoming a crucial hinge between real estate actors. With the example of the Warsaw real estate market we argue that international real estate consultancies are key drivers of the transformation process from a local to a global market. They transfer global knowledge, competence and practices and implement transparent and professional structures in the emerging Warsaw real estate market.
U radu se raspravlja o leksikografskome statusu dvorječnih pozdrava dobro jutro, dobar dan, dobra večer i laku noć u hrvatskim rječnicima te se upućuje i na strane leksikografske pristupe. Naglasak je na značenjskim i komunikacijskim obilježjima pozdrava koja ih određuju kao posebnu leksičku skupinu te se predlaže da dvorječni pozdravi kao i jednorječni (zdravo, zbogom, doviđenja) postanu samostalne rječničke natuknice.
Loss of the tumor suppressor Pdcd4 was reported for various tumor entities and proposed as a prognostic marker in tumorigenesis. We previously characterized decreased Pdcd4 protein stability in response to mitogenic stimuli, which resulted from p70S6K1-dependent protein phosphorylation, β-TrCP1-mediated ubiquitination, and proteasomal destruction. Following high-throughput screening of natural product extract libraries using a luciferase-based reporter assay to monitor phosphorylation-dependent proteasomal degradation of the tumor suppressor Pdcd4, we succeeded in showing that a crude extract from Eriophyllum lanatum stabilized Pdcd4 from TPA-induced degradation. Erioflorin was identified as the active component and inhibited not only degradation of the Pdcd4-luciferase-based reporter but also of endogenous Pdcd4 at low micromolar concentrations. Mechanistically, erioflorin interfered with the interaction between the E3-ubiquitin ligase β-TrCP1 and Pdcd4 in cell culture and in in vitro binding assays, consequently decreasing ubiquitination and degradation of Pdcd4. Interestingly, while erioflorin stabilized additional β-TrCP-targets (such as IκBα and β-catenin), it did not prevent the degradation of targets of other E3-ubiquitin ligases such as p21 (a Skp2-target) and HIF-1α (a pVHL-target), implying selectivity for β-TrCP. Moreover, erioflorin inhibited the tumor-associated activity of known Pdcd4- and IκBα-regulated αtranscription factors, that is, AP-1 and NF-κB, altered cell cycle progression and suppressed proliferation of various cancer cell lines. Our studies succeeded in identifying erioflorin as a novel Pdcd4 stabilizer that inhibits the interaction of Pdcd4 with the E3-ubiquitin ligase β-TrCP1. Inhibition of E3-ligase/target-protein interactions may offer the possibility to target degradation of specific proteins only as compared to general proteasome inhibition.
The biological effects of energetic heavy ions are attracting increasing interest for their applications in cancer therapy and protection against space radiation. The cascade of events leading to cell death or late effects starts from stochastic energy deposition on the nanometer scale and the corresponding lesions in biological molecules, primarily DNA. We have developed experimental techniques to visualize DNA nanolesions induced by heavy ions. Nanolesions appear in cells as “streaks” which can be visualized by using different DNA repair markers. We have studied the kinetics of repair of these “streaks” also with respect to the chromatin conformation. Initial steps in the modeling of the energy deposition patterns at the micrometer and nanometer scale were made with MCHIT and TRAX models, respectively.
Das wissenschaftliche Werk Brunners (1898–1982) ist wegen dessen zeitweiliger Nähe zum Nationalsozialismus bis heute umstritten. Allerdings haben sich die Phalanxen verschoben. Die früher von Brunner-Apologeten verfochtene These, Brunner habe mit dem Nationalsozialismus in keiner Beziehung gestanden und sein wissenschaftliches Werk der 1930/1940er Jahre sei lediglich dem konservativ-nationaldeutschen Geist der sog. "gesamtdeutschen Geschichtsauffassung" verpflichtet, ist durch die jüngere einschlägige Forschung widerlegt. Es lohnt daher nicht, auf diese Exkulpationsversuche hier näher einzugehen. Von nachhaltiger, bis heute reichender Wirkung ist dagegen die umgekehrte Behauptung, Brunner sei "ein radikaler Nazi" gewesen und dies in verkappter Form auch nach 1945 geblieben. Die Speerspitze dieser Argumentation stellt die Behauptung von Hans-Ulrich Wehler dar, Brunner habe, im Unterschied zu dessen Historikerkollegen Theodor Schieder und Werner Conze, denen Wehler politische und wissenschaftliche "glaubwürdige Lernbereitschaft und reflexive Lernfähigkeit nach der Zäsur 1945" attestiert, seine Fragestellung und Auffassungen "nach 1945 nie korrigiert". Ob diese massive These in der Sache plausibel begründet werden kann, soll hier zunächst offenbleiben, wenngleich ich dies nachdrücklich bestreite. Überraschender ist, dass Wehler nicht ansatzweise versucht, sachliche Argumente für seine Behauptung anzuführen, über die sich dann immerhin streiten ließe. Seine These beruht stattdessen im Wesentlichen auf Ressentiment. "Vollmundige Attacken" und "verblüffende Unkenntnis" hatte Wehler zuvor Götz Aly vorgeworfen, um dessen Kritik an dem in die NS-Wissenschaftsorganisation verstrickten Theodor Schieder (Wehlers Doktorvater) abzuwehren. Im Falle Brunners schlägt Wehlers Polemik gegen ihn selbst zurück: "Vollmundige Attacken" und "verblüffende Unkenntnis" des Brunnerschen Gesamtwerks charakterisieren seine Kritik. Eine besondere Pointe erhält Wehlers Kritik zudem durch dessen nachdrückliche Berufung auf Hans Rosenberg, den er als einen der Gründerväter der westdeutschen Sozialgeschichtsschreibung gegen Brunner auszuspielen versucht. Ausgerechnet der als sog. "Halbjude" eingestufte, 1935 vor den Nazis in die USA geflohene Rosenberg (1904–1988), dem Brunners Verstrickungen in den Nationalsozialismus selbstverständlich bekannt waren, hat diesen jedoch im Jahre 1972 als den "allerbedeutendste[n] Historiker unseres Jahrhunderts" bezeichnet. Ob dieses Urteil des liberalen Brunner-Kritikers, der Rosenberg ohne Zweifel war, heute noch Bestand hat, darf bezweifelt werden. Immerhin weist es darauf hin, dass wir es bei Brunner mit einem herausragenden Historiker und politischen Gelehrten zu tun haben, dem mit dem intellektuell dürftigen Argument "einmal Nazi – immer Nazi" nicht beizukommen ist. Das Problem, das sich bei dem Versuch einer Deutung des Brunnerschen Gesamtwerks stellt, ist dasselbe wie bei vielen anderen seiner Generation, die Frage nämlich nach Kontinuitäten und Brüchen über das Jahr 1945 hinweg. Bereits diese Schwelle greift allerdings zu kurz, denn tatsächlich ist zunächst einmal nicht danach zu fragen, ob und wie Brunner sich nach 1945 vom Nationalsozialismus distanziert, sondern ob und wie er sich im Vorfeld von 1933/1938 auf ihn zubewegt. Es sind also drei Perioden und zwei Schwellen, die mit Blick auf diese Generation von Gelehrten – und dies gilt nicht zuletzt für Brunner ebenso wie für Rothacker –, unterschieden werden müssen: zunächst das Werk vor 1933 bzw. 1938 ("Anschluss" Österreichs ans Deutsche Reich); sodann die Frage nach den Motiven und Umständen, die Brunner auf die Seite des Nationalsozialismus geführt haben sowie die Intensität und das Ausmaß seiner politischen Verstrickung; und schließlich die Frage, ob, und wenn ja, wie Brunner sich nach 1945 kritisch zu seinem wissenschaftlichen und wissenschaftspolitischen Engagement während der NS-Zeit verhält. Hierauf näher einzugehen, ist in der Kürze der Zeit nicht möglich. Ich muss es hier bei dem Hinweis auf meine an anderen Orten dargelegte und untermauerte allgemeine These belassen, dass sich das wissenschaftliche Gesamtwerk ebenso wie Brunners politische Haltungen tatsächlich nach diesem Periodenmuster sortieren lassen. Und dies trifft exemplarisch auch auf Brunners "Begriffsgeschichte" bzw. präziser im Plural formuliert: auf seine "Begriffsgeschichten" zu.
Das Wanderverhalten von Höckerschwänen aus dem nordwestdeutschen
Raum war bislang im Gegensatz zu vielen
Nachbarländern nur wenig untersucht. Wir stellen daher hier
Wanderungsbewegungen juveniler Höckerschwäne im ersten
Herbst ihres Lebens sowie zur Überwinterung und Mauser
vor der ersten Brutansiedlung dar, wobei überwiegend ein
Zeitraum von fünf Jahren betrachtet wird. Im westniedersächsischen
Weser-Ems-Raum mit Schwerpunkt an der Unterems
wurden zwischen 1998 und 2006 316 nicht flügge Höckerschwäne
nahe ihrer Geburtsorte zusätzlich zu den Vogelwartenringen
mit farbigen Halsbändern beringt. Daten von 217
dieser Vögel konnten mindestens für den ersten Winter ausgewertet
werden.
Im ersten Herbst verblieben über 92 % der juvenilen Vögel
nahe ihrer Geburtsorte, im ersten Winter noch 62,6 %. Die
übrigen wanderten größtenteils küstenparallel nach Südwesten
oder Nordosten. Im zweiten Winter zogen die Vögel im
Mittel signifikant weiter vom Geburtsort weg, bis zum fünften
Winter verringerten sich die Entfernungen wieder signifikant.
Für 22 Individuen konnte eine wiederholte Nutzung entfernt
gelegener Überwinterungsplätze nachgewiesen werden. Geschlechtsspezifische
Unterschiede sind bei der Wahl der
Überwinterungsplätze nicht erkennbar.
Vorjährige Höckerschwäne mauserten im Mittel in 125 km
und maximal in 311 km Entfernung zum Geburtsort, aber
selten nahe dem Geburtsort. Die mittlere Entfernung blieb in
den Folgejahren weitgehend konstant. Die Mauserplätze lagen
wie die Überwinterungsgebiete überwiegend südwestlich oder
nordöstlich der Geburtsorte. Eine Mauserplatztreue über bis
zu sechs Jahre wurde ebenso festgestellt wie großräumige
Mauserplatzwechsel. Geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede
sind auch bei der Mauser nicht nachzuweisen.
Insgesamt zeigen die tiefer im Binnenland beringten Vögel
nach Südosten parallelverschobene Wanderungsbewegungen
und geringen Kontakt zu ihren Artgenossen aus den küstennahen
Brutpopulationen. Auch eine Mauser im Ostseeraum
führt kaum zu einem Individuenaustausch mit dort ebenfalls
mausernden Vögeln der Brutpopulationen aus dem niedersächsischen
Binnenland und Ostdeutschland.
Fundamental rights protection, once a side show, has become important for the EU, as proved by the newfound treaty recognition of the EU fundamental rights charter (CFREU), and the upcoming accession to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). At the same time the fundamental rights situation in a considerable number of Member States is an increasing cause for concern. This has mostly been illustrated with reference to minorities and asylum seekers. However, recent reports of organizations like the Council of Europe, the OSCE and various NGOs have also highlighted serious problems with regard to media freedom, such as overt political influence, media concentration, disproportionate sanctions on journalists, misuse of counter-terrorism legislation against the press, deficient protection of journalistic sources and failure to investigate violence against reporters. ...
Die Stellung der Grundrechte im europäischen Rechtsraum zeichnet eine tiefe Ambivalenz aus. Einerseits haben sie ihr Schattendasein im Unionsrecht hinter sich gelassen: Man denke an die Grundrechtecharta, den bevorstehenden Beitritt zur EMRK, das Bekenntnis zu einer grundrechtsorientierten Außenpolitik (Art. 21 Abs. 2 lit. b) EUV) und die strenge Überprüfung von Beitrittskandidaten. Andererseits gibt die Grundrechtslage in einigen Mitgliedstaaten Anlass zu erheblicher Sorge. Traurige Bekanntheit genießt die Situation von Minderheiten und Migranten. Maßgebliche Institutionen, wie der Europarat und die OSZE, sehen aber auch die Freiheit der Medien stark gefährdet. Ranglisten zur Pressefreiheit verzeichnen einen signifikanten Abstieg einiger EU-Mitgliedstaaten wegen Medienkonzentration, offener politischer Einflussnahme, unverhältnismäßiger Sanktionen, der Zweckentfremdung von Antiterrorgesetzgebung, unzureichenden Quellenschutzes und nicht aufgeklärter Gewaltakte gegen Journalisten. ...
Background: Dabigatran etexilate (DE) is a new oral direct thrombin inhibitor. Clinical trials point towards a favourable risk-to-benefit profile of DE compared to warfarin. In this study, we evaluated whether hemorrhagic transformation (HT) occurs after experimental stroke under DE treatment as we have shown for warfarin.
Methods: 44 male C57BL/6 mice were pretreated orally with 37.5 mg/kg DE, 75 mg/kg DE or saline and diluted thrombin time (dTT) and DE plasma concentrations were monitored. Ischemic stroke was induced by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) for 1 h or 3 h. We assessed functional outcome and HT blood volume 24 h and 72 h after tMCAO.
Results: After 1 h tMCAO, HT blood volume did not differ significantly between mice pretreated with DE 37.5 mg/kg and controls (1.5±0.5 µl vs. 1.8±0.5 µl, p>0.05). After 3 h tMCAO, DE-anticoagulated mice did also not show an increase in HT, neither at the dose of 37.5 mg/kg equivalent to anticoagulant treatment in the therapeutic range (1.3±0.9 µl vs. control 2.3±0.5 µl, p>0.05) nor at 75 mg/kg, clearly representing supratherapeutic anticoagulation (1.8±0.8 µl, p>0.05). Furthermore, no significant increase in HT under continued anticoagulation with DE 75 mg/kg could be found at 72 h after tMCAO for 1 h (1.7±0.9 µl vs. control 1.6±0.4 µl, p>0.05).
Conclusion: Our experimental data suggest that DE does not significantly increase hemorrhagic transformation after transient focal cerebral ischemia in mice. From a translational viewpoint, this indicates that a continuation of DE anticoagulation in case of an ischemic stroke might be safe, but clearly, clinical data on this question are warranted.
Aus wertlosen Zetteln wird kaufkräftiges Geld, die öffentliche Finanzkrise scheint abgewendet, das Volk nimmt die Papierscheine mit Freude auf – nicht ohne Verluste! Die Papiergeldszene in Goethes »Faust« gehört zu den Schlüsselszenen jeder ökonomischen Deutung des Dramas, das an Aktualität bis heute nichts eingebüßt hat. Hellsichtig beschreibt Goethe die anbrechende Moderne, in der alle Lebensbereiche immer stärker von Abstraktion und Virtualisierung durchdrungen werden.
Im Jahr 2012 feiert die Matej-Bel-Universität in Banská Bystrica ihr zwanzigjähriges Bestehen. Zugleich sind an dieser Universität 15 Jahre lebendiger translationswissenschaftlicher Bemühungen in Lehre und Forschung zu verzeichnen. Ein Jahr zuvor, 2011, konnte auch der SUNG – der Verband der Deutschlehrer und Germanisten der Slowakei – auf zwanzig Jahre ergiebiger Tätigkeit zurückblicken. In diesem Jahr schließe auch ich mit 20 Jahren Tätigkeit in der slowakischen Germanistik als Pädagogin an der Matej-Bel-Universität und gleichzeitig als SUNG-Mitglied an diese Jubiläen an. Seit 1992 bin ich im Umfeld der Neusohler (Bystricaer) Germanistik tätig: zunächst an der Geisteswissenschaftlichen Fakultät, dann an der "Übersetzerfakultät" – ein Wechsel nach zehn Jahren, der meine professionelle Orientierung entscheidend geprägt hat – und schließlich seit 2007 an der neu formierten Geisteswissenschaftlichen Fakultät.
Da offensichtlich die Zeit gekommen ist, Zwischenbilanzen zu ziehen, regte Prof. Peter Ďurčo von der Hl. Kyrill und Method-Universität Trnava entsprechende Aktivitäten der slowakischen Germanisten an und verankerte sie in einem VEGA-Projekt (Anm.1). In der vorliegenden Studie habe ich mir daher vorgenommen, einen Blick auf die Ergebnisse, Erfolge und Pläne der germanistischen Translationswissenschaft an der Matej-Bel-Universität in Banská Bystrica zu werfen und das Resultat dieser Rückschau als ein sinnvolles Ganzes publik zu machen.
Background: Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI)-imaging is an ultrasound-based elastography method enabling quantitative measurement of tissue stiffness. The aim of the present study was to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of ARFI-imaging for differentiation of thyroid nodules and to compare it to the well evaluated qualitative real-time elastography (RTE).
Methods: ARFI-imaging involves the mechanical excitation of tissue using acoustic pulses to generate localized displacements resulting in shear-wave propagation which is tracked using correlation-based methods and recorded in m/s. Inclusion criteria were: nodules $5 mm, and cytological/histological assessment. All patients received conventional ultrasound, real-time elastography (RTE) and ARFI-imaging.
Results: One-hundred-fifty-eight nodules in 138 patients were available for analysis. One-hundred-thirty-seven nodules were benign on cytology/histology, and twenty-one nodules were malignant. The median velocity of ARFI-imaging in the healthy thyroid tissue, as well as in benign and malignant thyroid nodules was 1.76 m/s, 1.90 m/s, and 2.69 m/s, respectively. While no significant difference in median velocity was found between healthy thyroid tissue and benign thyroid nodules, a significant difference was found between malignant thyroid nodules on the one hand and healthy thyroid tissue (p = 0.0019) or benign thyroid nodules (p = 0.0039) on the other hand. No significant difference of diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of malignant thyroid nodules was found between RTE and ARFI-imaging (0.74 vs. 0.69, p = 0.54). The combination of RTE with ARFI did not improve diagnostic accuracy.
Conclusions: ARFI can be used as an additional tool in the diagnostic work up of thyroid nodules with high negative predictive value and comparable results to RTE.
Die erst kürzlich beschriebene Flechtenart Candelaria pacifica wurde an mehreren Stellen in Aachen (Nordrhein-Westfalen/Deutschland) und benachbarten Gebieten in Belgien und den Niederlanden gefunden. Dies stellt zumindest für Deutschland einen Neufund dar. Ein isoliertes Vorkommen der arktisch-antarktischen Flechte Xanthomendoza borealis (= Xanthoria borealis) konnte in der nordwestlichen Eifel (Nordrhein-Westfalen/Deutschland) nachgewiesen werden. Hierbei handelt sich offenbar um einen Erstfund in Mitteleuropa.
Als Weiterführung der im Vorjahr begonnenen Serie ber kritische und wenig bekannte Sippen im Aachener Raum werden hier weitere Sippen vorgestellt. Neu kombiniert werden Bromus mediterraneus (H. SCHOLZ & F. M. VÁZQUEZ) BOMBLE & PATZKE und Sagina leiosperma (THELL.) BOMBLE. Ansonsten werden behandelt: Anthyllis vulneraria s. str., Bromus scholzii BOMBLE & PATZKE ined. (mit E. PATZKE), Eryngium giganteum, Lotus suberectus, Melampyrum pratense, Melampyrum commutatum, Persicaria capitata (= Polygonum capitatum), Sagina micropetala, Sagina x normaniana, Sagina procumbens, Sagina subulata var. glabrata und Solanum luteovirescens (mit B. G. A. SCHMITZ).
Die Fetthennen und Mauerpfeffer (Gattung Sedum im weiteren Sinne) wurden vom Bund deutscher Staudengärtner zur "Staude des Jahres 2011" gewählt. Dies soll zum Anlass genommen werden, im Folgenden die Arten vorzustellen, die in Nordrhein-Westfalen heimisch sind oder regelmäßig aus Kultur verwildern. Die Beschreibung richtet sich dementsprechend weniger an den Gartenliebhaber als an all jene, die sich mit Fetthennen im Freiland, egal ob in der "freien Natur" oder im Siedlungsbereich, beschäftigen möchten.